Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino Vertical Tasting

I like to drink wine more than I used to...
Don Corleone, The Godfather

The wines that I like to drink seem to all start with a "B", Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Bordeaux and of course Brunello.

Brunello is the wine with top billing in Tuscany is for the last half of century, a DOCG from a fortress town south of Siena with reds of legendary power and longevity that have commanded lofty prices.  The wines of this world renowned region of Tuscany were conceived by the Biondi Santi family a century ago, today Brunello di Montalcino is produced under scores of labels, representing small farms, established estates and even international corporations.  By the turn of the 21st century, there are over 200 producers of Brunello di Montalcino, mostly small farmers and family estates, producing nearly 330,000 cases a year.
We host an annual release tasting every year to celebrate the wine that is held back longer than any other in Italy before it allowed by law to be sold.  These 2017’s and the 2016 Riserva’s are some incredible wines but the paradox here is that these wines are years away from showing their grandeur, when a customer wants a recommendation for a wine to take home tonight and drink, young Brunello is rarely comes to mind.  However if you would like a taste of the wines of this elite red wine producing region, Brunello’s baby brother Rossi Di Montalcino has been one of the hottest wines in its price category in the store this year. 

Join us as we make an incredible journey through three decades of Brunello di Montalcino all the way back to the 1996 vintage with a total of 17 different wines on the table and most of these wines are still available by the case!!!  Chef Toni has curated a special menu to accompany these Brunelli and the cost of this tasting which includes dinner is only $295 + tax per person. 

CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO VERTICAL TASTING
Friday, September 9, 2022
7:30 PM
1996 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
1998 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino
1999 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva
2000 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2004 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva
2006 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2007 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2011 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2012 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
2013 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino
2013 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva
2015 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2015 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Casaccia
2016 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino
2016 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Casaccia
2016 Canalicchio di Sopra Riserva Brunello di Montalcino
2017 Canalicchio Di Sopra Brunello Di Montalcino
2017 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Casaccia

Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie
White Bean and Escarole Soup with Veal Meat Balls
Tomato Carpaccio with Grilled Wild Mushroom Tartar and Sage Aioli
Sangiovese Braised Wild Boar Stew served Over Creamy Polenta
Almond Biscotti with Vanilla Bean Gelato

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about the producer:
Primo Pacenti, the winemaker at Canalicchio di Sopra is a delightful gentleman whose wines are much like him - open and unpretentious.  These wines are ones that mature rapidly and offer straightforward satisfaction.  He has been making wine since the late 1960’s in the limestone and clay soils of his vineyard in a zone that is one of the most rapidly evolving and expanding in the fine wine world.
In 1962 Primo Pacenti, a lover of the land with a knowledge of its products, founded Azienda Agricola Canalicchio di Sopra. Situated in the northern side of the Municipality of Montalcino and in the middle of the tourist itinerary of Val d’Orcia, the farm extends for about 60 ha, 15 of which are cultivated with vines and 2 with olive groves.
Three generations live here side by side with the common aim of producing quality wines: the generation of the grandfather, Primo Pacenti, who founded the farm and managed it until the 1990’s, as well as participating actively in the social life of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino; that of the father, Pier Luigi Ripaccioli, who with the grandfather has undertaken to increase the quality by proposing careful and meticulous work; that of the grandchildren, Simonetta, Marco and Francesco who joined the management in 2001, bringing with them new ideas and new technologies always in respect of ancient methods and customs.
The vines grow in two of the zones with the highest vine growing and wine making vocations in Montalcino: Canalicchio di Sopra and Le Gode di Montosoli. The different exposure and the geological differences of the soils produce different Sangiovese grapes where balance and power compensate one another in the wine cellar through the patient work which always seeks the best blend of tradition and innovation.

All the Canalicchio Di Sopra we have in the store:

2019 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $42.00      Your Price: $36.96
(91 points) Outer quote mark The 2019 Rosso di Montalcino requires a bit of time to blossom in the glass; yet patience is rewarded, as an air of smoky minerals and peppery herbs slowly evolves into a perfumed display of wild strawberries, rose hips and flowery undergrowth. This is soft and supple, seeming almost fleshy at first, yet it gains harmony through a savory mix of mineral-tinged red berries and spices. A subtle film of fine tannin lingers, yet the mouth waters for more, as this literally buzzes with residual energy while inner florals slowly fade. (EG) 91+ Inner quote mark (1/2021)  Vinous

2018 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 3 LITER
Price: $275.00   Your Price: $242.00
2018 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO MAGNUM
Price: $87.50      Your Price: $77.00           Quantity in Stock: 1
2018 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $38.00      Sale Price: $33.44            Quantity in Stock: 6
(92 Points) "This is a terrific wine that is one big step above your standard Rosso and one tiny step below your standard Brunello. The Canalicchio di Sopra 2018 Rosso di Montalcino is a fresh and versatile wine. The 2018 vintage was cool and had more rainfall than average. Windy conditions dried and helped to concentrate the fruit right before harvest. This wine is made from a selection of the estate's youngest vines, with about 90% of the fruit coming from the Canalicchio area and 10% from Montosoli. I had a glass with a delicious plate of vegetarian lasagna. This wine moves across the palate with steely precision, breaking up any cheese, butter or olive oil flavors along the way. It offers a snappy, lean to medium-weight drinking style with lots of freshness and enough texture to withstand some near-term cellar aging. This Rosso was bottled in November 2019 and released in January 2020. Not counting large format bottles, some 40,800 regular-sized bottles were produced." 1/20 Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO MAGNUM
Price: $312.00   Your Price: $274.56
2017 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $146.00   Your Price: $128.48        Quantity in Stock: 17
(94 Points) "As you drive downhill from the hamlet of Montalcino on its north side, you pass the Canalicchio di Sopra winery, which is located in a shallow, sun-lit basin of vines. This estate is meticulous and studied in its winemaking philosophy, and the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino is an expression of that concentration. This warm-climate Brunello reveals awesome purity and intensity with wild cherry, almond and lilac spread over a tonic, mid-weight finish. This wine awards plenty of elegance in a vintage that was not easy and not prone to such nuance. Production is exactly 39,989 bottles." 02/22  Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO MAGNUM
Price: $320.00   Your Price: $281.60
2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $150.00   Your Price: $132.00        Quantity in Stock: 52
(95 points) The Canalicchio di Sopra 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows balance and symmetry with that difficult twofold delivery of power and elegance. This terrific new release shows dark fruit and tart cherry, but then unwinds slowly to reveal light spice, toasted nut, blue flower and crushed limestone. The wine affords a genuine sense of place with roots in the northern half of the appellation where the light is whiter and the nights are cooler. That brilliant luminosity appears in the pure quality of fruit and the sharp focus of the mouthfeel, driven by balanced tannins and acidity. The sensation it gives is compact and long, without too much extra volume or padding. This wine is like a contoured, chiseled and carefully polished marble statue that you would see in a Renaissance church. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO (3 LITER)
Price: $615.00   Sale Price: $541.20
2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO MAGNUM
Price: $305.00   Your Price: $268.40        Quantity in Stock: 4
2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $146.00   Your Price: $128.48        Quantity in Stock: 22
(95 Points) This bottle marks the special 50th anniversary of this wine. A little red sticker on the front label commemorates the five decades that have passed since grandfather Primo Pacenti did his first harvest. The medium-weight Canalicchio di Sopra 2015 Brunello di Montalcino shows a generous spread of forest fruit, licorice, blue flower, bay leaf, Provence herbs and fragrant wet soil aromas. There is a touch of earthy muskiness that some like to refer to as "foxy." Fruit for this Brunello represents a selection of clusters harvested over 10 hectares at 300 to 320 meters above sea level in two sites: Canalicchio and Montosoli. Canalicchio has clay soils for the structure of the wine, and Montosoli adds to the clarity of the aromas. All the vines are over 10 years old. Fermentation is in stainless steel, and aging spans 36 months in Slavonian oak casks. This wine from the warm and sunny 2015 vintage maintains its trademark crispness and freshness nonetheless.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2013 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $120.00   Your Price: $105.60        Quantity in Stock: 7
(97 points) Plump and bursting with cherry, strawberry and mineral aromas and flavors, this racy red evokes harmony and freshness, with hints of spice, chocolate and tobacco as it plays out gracefully on the long aftertaste. There is structure here, with all the components integrated. Best from 2020 through 2035. From Italy.B.S (3/2017) Wine Spectator

2012 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $130.25   Your Price: $114.62
(95 Points) "Loads of balsamic aromas and flavors-juniper, rosemary, thyme, olive-along with cherry, sanguine and tobacco notes are the hallmarks of this intense red. Well-integrated and complex, building to a long aftertaste. Best from 2012 through 2035." Wine Spectator

2011 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $175.25   Your Price: $154.22        Quantity in Stock: 6
(95 points) "The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is a gorgeous, striking wine. Sweet macerated cherries, tobacco, licorice, spice and mint are all laced together in a super-expressive, resonant Brunello endowed with real class. Open-knit and seductive, the 2011 will drink well with minimal cellaring. This is an especially delicate, sensual Brunello that speaks to the finesse that is possible on the northern side of Montalcino, and a terrific example of the year at its very best. With time in the glass, the 2011 starts to shut down, which may be a very good sign of its potential longevity. In any event, the 2011 Brunello is a winner. Proprietor Francesco Ripaccioli gave the 2011 a bit less time in oak than is customary. Production was just 28,000 bottles as opposed to the 50,000 bottles that were produced between the straight Brunello and Riserva in 2010 (there is no Riserva in 2011.)" Antonio Galloni

2009 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $110.00   Your Price: $96.80
(92 points) The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino is a standout expression with long and polished notes of dried fruit and tobacco presented in a smooth and seamless fashion. It shows good structure and balance but an even prettier nose with ethereal balsam herbs, tar, licorice and pressed violets that emerge as the wine evolves in the glass. The wine hints at a greater evolution to come. Drink: 2017-2022.  Wine Advocate #211 Feb 2014

2007 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $126.00   Your Price: $110.88        Quantity in Stock: 12
(93 Points) The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino is a huge wine. Waves of dark red and black fruit saturate the palate in this generous, explosive Brunello. The firm yet well-integrated tannins are buried beneath a wall of fruit in this generous, flashy 2007. The 2007 spent 36 months in cask, all of which is handled beautifully. This is another terrific showing from Canalicchio di Sopra. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2006 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $174.00   Your Price: $153.12        Quantity in Stock: 7
(94 Points) The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino comes across as tightly wound and inward at this stage. With time in the glass the wine’s inner perfume gradually comes to life, even if this remains a reticent Brunello within the context of the vintage. Still, it is impossible not to admire the inner sweetness of the fruit and the impeccable polish of the tannins. All this needs is time, maybe a little more than usual in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2005 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $120.00   Your Price: $105.60        Quantity in Stock: 1
(94 points) Outer quote mark One of the highlights of this uneven vintage, the 2005 Brunello di Montalcino has entered the very early part of its maturity, as the tannins have begun to soften, releasing the aromatics and fruit. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and dried cherries are all laced together in a gorgeous, highly expressive Brunello that has plenty to offer today. The 2005 is not the typical Canalicchio blockbuster Brunello; instead it is a wine that impresses for its balance and total class. (AG) Inner quote mark (3/2015)  Vinous

2004 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $175.25   Your Price: $154.22
(96 points) Outer quote mark The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is endowed with notable energy and class. Aromatic, vibrant and still quite fresh, the 2004 has it all. As is often the case with great wines, the 2004 is going to provide a wide window of pure drinking pleasure. Today, the 2004 is stellar, but it also has the pedigree to age well for many years. Hints of sweet tobacco, licorice and dried flowers all add nuance on the highly expressive, finessed finish. The 2004 is just beginning to enter the early part of its maturity, yet there is no rush; the 2004 is a long-distance runner. (AG) Inner quote mark (3/2015) 

2003 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $153.00   Your Price: $134.64
(92 points) Outer quote mark The cask-aged 2003 Brunello di Montalcino from Canalicchio di Sopra is a big, full-bodied wine packed with vibrant dark fruit. It coats the palate with gorgeous depth and persistence, showing terrific energy and notable overall balance. This is a great effort from Canalicchio di Sopra and one of the estate's best wines in recent memory. (AG) Inner quote mark (4/2008)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2001 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $190.25   Your Price: $167.42
(91) Gorgeous subtle aromas of plum, berry and Indian spices follow through to a full-bodied palate with fine tannins and a long, long finish. Tight and structured. Best after 2007. 665 cases made. -JS Wine Spectator July 31, 2006

2000 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $160.25   Your Price: $141.02        Quantity in Stock: 1
An underappreciated vintage and one that is drinking at its peak right now, a soft and elegant wine that still has berry and plum fruit with a nice touch of spice, and silky smooth tannins.  Finish 40+  Excellent

1999 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $175.00   Your Price: $154.00
(90 points) "The 1999 Brunello di Montalcino, a bright garnet with aromas of wild cherries and underbrush is dense and sustained on the palate with ample notes of tobacco and anisette and a muscular texture. The sweetness of the fruit, however, manages to balance the rather pugnacious tannins. Drink: 2006- 2014." (04/05) Robert Parker

1998 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $155.00   Your Price: $136.40        Quantity in Stock: 2
(90 Points) Very fresh and fruity with refined tannins and a long finish. Medium- to full-bodied, silky texture. Another year of bottle age would bring it together. Best after 2004. 200 cases made. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2004

1996 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $180.00   Your Price: $158.40        Quantity in Stock: 10
Founded in the sixties by Primo Pacenti, Canalicchio di Sopra remains family-owned. Its establishment represented a substantive risk, as Pacenti, a peasant farmer up until the abolition of the sharecropping system, possessed little in the way of security. The Brunellos of the estate largely reflect the wine’s historical paradigm, a character derived, in part, through 36 months of cask aging, and 1 year in bottle.

1995 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $172.25   Your Price: $151.58
Wine Watch Review: Dried meats and dusty earth notes on the nose to compliment the matured plum and sun dried cherry fruit, leather saddle very complex bouquet of aromas. Lovely spiced cherry fruit on the tongue with fine smooth tannins, complex and layered finish with notes of leather, dried meats spice box. Classic Brunello from a classic vintage, this wine is drinking at its peak right now. Finish 50+ MOST EXCELLENT

1994 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $186.00   Your Price: $163.68
(88 Points) A reserved wine, with light plum, berry, cedar and mushroom character. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins and a sweet, fruity finish. Drink now. 1,060 cases made. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Aug 31, 1999

2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $254.00   Your Price: $223.52        Quantity in Stock: 5
(98 Points) Canalicchio di Sopra’s Riserva is typically crafted from the estate’s oldest plantings. In 2016, it combines two sites: Vigna Vecchia Mercatale in Canalicchio and the Filari Lunghi vineyard on the Montosoli hill. It is intensely balsamic in fragrance, flaunting mint and rosemary on a backdrop of dark, rain-soaked soil. Flint and tobacco notes hover in the background. The palate is pure and upright. Tight, linear tannins penetrate the compact core of black brooding berries. Then, the palate is suddenly refreshed by a tangy, stony minerality. This still needs time to meld, but all the elements are there for a long life. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042. Decanter

2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA MAGNUM
Price: $504.00   Your Price: $443.52
2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $240.00   Your Price: $211.20
(98 points) Outer quote mark The Canalicchio di Sopra 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a beauty. It offers a brilliant interpretation of a warm and sunny vintage from cool, mineral-rich soils in an area with steep shifts between day and nighttime temperatures. This is one of those special wines in which the vintage characteristics fit the territory with the precision of a jigsaw puzzle. The bouquet is fluid and complex with tart cherry fruit, cola, licorice, aniseed and blue flower. That aniseed comes around a second time. The arrangement and order of those aromas changes with each successive swirl of the glass. This Riserva is fermented in stainless steel and aged in Slavonian oak casks for 36 months. (ML) Inner quote mark (11/2020)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2013 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $226.25   Your Price: $199.10        Quantity in Stock: 6
(97 Points)"The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a tremendous wine that delivers a deep sense of inner gravity and balance. That, in a nutshell, is the secret of the top-end wines made at the exciting Canalicchio di Sopra estate. The wines made here always exhibit carefully measured balance in the classic vintages (like 2013) and in the difficult years as well. That extreme balance is exactly why you taste the vintage variation with such distinction. This expression from 2013 is remarkably smooth and silky with a steady succession of traditional Sangiovese aromas that span from wild berry, forest floor, wet earth, pressed flower and hints of tangy licorice or aniseed. This is a mid-weight Brunello that glides over the palate with precise, delicate and long lasting waves of intensity. Some 3,185 bottles, 174 magnums and 30 double magnums were made." 1/19 Wine Advocate, Monica Larner

2012 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $157.75   Your Price: $138.82        Quantity in Stock: 10
(95 Points) The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a beautifully saturated expression, with gorgeous density and presence. The bouquet is carefully considered in terms of its power and intensity (remember, this was a hot and dry vintage, and ripening was accelerated as a result). It shows lots of varietal character and definition without ever going overboard or feeling too soft or ripe. In fact, this Riserva is surprisingly tonic and firm deep down. It sweeps over the palate with sweet, plush and softly velvety waves of fruity flavors. - Monica Larner,  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2018

2007 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $246.00   Your Price: $216.48
A classic example of Brunello with soft smooth tannins, this wine is now fully evolved with the classic black tar and truffle aromas along with a host of dried herbs, sage and rosemary.  The wine opened up nicely and revealed some pretty dried cherry fruit along with some meaty notes and dried flowers, everything in perfect balance today.  The wine finishes fresh and lively and with the right food this wine will really came alive, the fruit being on the undercard with the wine now at 15 years old.  You want to decanter this wine for 30 minutes and serve it with dinner or some reggiano parmesan cheese.  A classic vintage for Montacino and although it is fully mature, it has the balance to last another decade or more in your cellar.  Finish 45+  Most Excellent +

2006 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RESERVA MAGNUM
Price: $560.00   Your Price: $492.80
2006 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA RISERVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Price: $260.00   Your Price: $228.80
Smoked meats, exotic spices and dried pot puree of flowers and mushroom like aromas the most old world in style of the wines, sage and an underbrush like nuance.  Big and tannic on the tongue with lots of densely packed fruit and intense tannins very spicy with layers of earth, minerality and exotic spice and a long finish that just screams put me in the cellar.  Finish 50+  Very long finish with fine tannins and that dried earth.             KILLER

2004 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $245.25   Your Price: $215.82        Quantity in Stock: 7
(93+ Points) The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is built on a core of elegance and refinement rather than the sheer power that typically characterizes the estate’s wines. This is a sensual, layered Brunello that only gradually reveals its seductive charm. Sweet, silky tannins support a core of ripe dark fruit all the way through to the sublime, delicate finish. Readers looking for a blockbuster 2004 Riserva should look elsewhere, but those in search of the elegant side of Brunello will find much to admire here. That said; the wine gained quite a bit of volume and depth with air, so it will be interesting to see where things go from here. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.  Canalicchio di Sopra - Ripaccioli seems to be making better and better wines with each passing vintage. The estate’s Rosso and Brunellos are sourced from vineyards in the Canalicchio and Montosoli districts, both on the northern side of Montalcino, and are aged predominantly in cask.  Wine Advocate #188, Apr 2010

1999 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA
Price: $229.75   Your Price: $202.18        Quantity in Stock: 1
(94 Points) The 1999 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva made a terrific showing thanks to its all-embracing personality. There’s a real sense of abundance and generosity here that starts with the wine’s richly textured mouthfeel and darkly concentrated appearance. The aromas have certainly moved into the third and final stage of their evolution with smoked bacon and saddle bag but there’s enough pressed fruit and crushed flower to keep it from feeling one-dimensional. The mouthfeel is lean and elegant with surprising focus and clarity. Decant the wine three to four hours prior to serving. Drink: 2014-2028.   Wine Advocate #211, Feb 2014

2017 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CASACCIA
Price: $235.00   Your Price: $206.80        Quantity in Stock: 11
(96 Points) This is a relatively new addition to the Canalicchio di Sopra portfolio, and even its modern graphic label design represents a break from the rest of the line, which has more nostalgic labels that feature Montalcino's medieval main square. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia takes a little longer to open, but it ultimately reveals the elegance and energy that comes with the house style. Wild cherry, ash and balsam herb drive a long, very polished finish. The La Casaccia site is distinguished by mineral-rich clay soils, which give this wine its power and density.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CASACCIA MAGNUM
Price: $520.50   Your Price: $458.04
2016 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CASACCIA
Price: $246.00   Your Price: $216.48        Quantity in Stock: 19
(96 Points) This is a newish single-vineyard wine (it's the second vintage) created by Francesco Ripaccioli and the team at Canalicchio di Sopra at the conclusion of an ambitious estate-wide mapping project. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia draws its fruit from a two-hectare site planted in 1990 with clay soils and rich in mineral components. A precious 4,133 bottles were made. What I like most is the tightness of the fruit, which you chip away at slowly as the wine softens and yields in the glass. Each layer brings you forest fruit, sour cherry, almond, lilac and candied orange peel. On a second swirl, you might get black olive, bay leaf and scorched earth. There are subtle mineral notes, but what La Casaccia ultimately offers is that uniquely compact and extremely polished quality of fruit. (ML) (3/2021) -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2015 CANALICCHIO DI SOPRA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CASACCIA
Price: $225.00   Your Price: $198.00        Quantity in Stock: 9
(98 Points) The Canalicchio di Sopra 2015 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia represents a new chapter in this estate's long history. This is a single-vineyard expression from the Canalicchio area, one of the most interesting subzones on the northeast side of Montalcino. Giving identity to individual parcels gives an estate like this huge potential for further expression and experimentation. The site is a little over two hectares, and it has dense, mineral-rich clay soils that add more power and a heavier center of gravity. The vines were planted in 1990. I notice slightly firmer tannin here, with a very distinct level of acidity purity. You also get lasting berry fruit favors with blueberry and dried raspberry followed by spice, licorice and lavender buds from the south of France and the rim of the Mediterranean. The wine is distinguished by endnotes of balsam or medicinal herb that grow in strength with time. It offers plenty of volume and weight. Not counting the various large format bottles made, only 3,610 750-milliliter bottles were produced. They were filled in May 2019, and the wine hit the market in January 2020. -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

Although Brunellos are generally regarded as more pronounced in character than the wines of Chianti, such a generic and broad description is more convenient than it is accurate. Distinctions in climate and soil between the northern and southern parts of the Montalcino zone account for important differences. The northern zone, the area relative to Canalicchio, evidences a cooler climate than that of its southern counterpart; this northern terrain receives limited exposure to both the Mediterranean influence of Montalcino and the cooling breezes that the latter’s high altitude affords, resulting in wines that display impressive ripeness and structure.

A bit about Canalicchio Di Sopra by Antonio Galloni in his newest Article in Vinous:
"Primo Pacenti was one of the true pioneers of Montalcino. Pacenti purchased his property in the Canalicchio district, on the northern edge of town in 1952, well before Brunello di Montalcino as we know it today existed. At the time, the estate was planted with mixed grains and olives. It is difficult to imagine today, but the agrarian life was hard and full of sacrifices.

Pacenti planted a hectare and a half of vineyards between 1958 and 1959 and made his first Brunello in 1966, the same year Brunello di Montalcino became a DOC wine. A year later, Pacenti was one of the founding members of the producers’ Consorzio, where he held leadership positions throughout his long, distinguished career.

Pier Luigi Ripaccioli, Pacenti’s son-in-law, bought his property in Le Gode di Montosoli in 1958. Ripaccioli planted in the early 1970s and sold fruit to other wineries while he worked in the vineyards at Castelgiocondo. Holding down multiple jobs to make ends meet was typical during this era.
In 1987, Pacenti and Ripaccioli joined forces to create Canalicchio di Sopra pretty much as it exists today.  Savvy readers will notice that wines bottled after 1987 show both estate names on the label (Canalicchio di Sopra and Le Gode di Montosoli) but it is only with the 1987 vintage that fruit from both estates are used together in the wines.
Sadly, Canalicchio di Sopra went through a bit of a rough patch after Pier Luigi Ripaccioli's stroke in 1999, but things seem to have rebounded in a big way. Today, Ripaccioli’s children are in charge. Francesco makes the wines, his brother Marco tends the vineyards and their sister Simonetta takes care of hospitality.
The estate’s Brunello is made of a blend from the Canalicchio and Montosoli properties and spends around 36 months in Slavonian oak botti. In top years, Canalicchio di Sopra also makes a Riserva, which is sourced predominantly from a parcel of the oldest vines in Canalicchio plus 5-10% fruit from Montosoli. First produced in 1987, the Riserva sees about 42 months in cask. Beginning in 2003, the Riserva spends the first six months of its time in the cellar in French oak casks. The Riserva tends to be richer, deeper and riper than the straight bottling, with, naturally a bit of French oak influence. Within the broader context of Montalcino, both Brunellos are powerful, classic-leaning wines that need time to show some of the more refined qualities of the northern side of Montalcino.

I find differences between the two Brunellos tend to be more stylistic than qualitative, especially in recent years. In many vintages, I prefer the straight bottling, although Francesco Ripaccioli contends the Riserva only shows its pedigree after ten years or so. Either way, both Canalicchio Brunellos are striking, full of personality and well worth checking out. Best of all, the wines will reward consumers with many years, and in some cases, decades, of exceptional drinking. Today, Canalicchio di Sopra is without question one of the most exciting properties in Montalcino."  Antonio Galloni, Vinous