2020
Canalicchio di Sopra Montosoli (Red) 2020 - 94Lots of rich, dark berry fruit at first on the nose, somewhat superficial, that opens up quite quickly to richly dark and toffeed, confected and almost over-extracted black fruit. A genuinely surprising wine - I usually look towards to Montosoli for elegance, delicacy and charm - and this is instead delivering dark chewy tannins, depth and complexity. Dark and serious, wonderfully chewy, opulent and extracted. Dark and incredibly moreish, with lots of chalky minerality on the finish. Criminally young - this needs lots of time and decanting, but the level of chewy concentration, depth and concentration is mind-blowing.
Tasted2019
Canalicchio di Sopra Montosoli (Red) 2019 - 93Intensely herbal, coffee, cacao. Lots of juicy ripe cherries on the palate, crunchy, fresh, juicy - beautiful weight and concentration. Real creaminess - presumably coming from the oak. Pretty saline finish. Really struggling to find anything to criticise here - it is rich, ripe, concentrated, high acidity, recognisably Sangiovese. It is ready to drink (if you're in a hurry), but has the complexity and concentration and structure to last really well. Beautiful wine, ending on menthol and dark cherries...
Tasted November 20232018
Canalicchio di Sopra Montosoli (Red) 2018 - 93Subtle chocolate, vanilla, and a hint of menthol-eucalyptus on the nose. Mineral and blue flowers. Firm minerality (somewhat reminiscent of the Banfi Marrucheto). Cool firmness plays off well against the intensely ripe fruit and generous extraction. Powerful grip, structure, and powerful blue-black velvet fruit. Beautiful acidity and extremely interesting tannins - they're moderately powerful but incredibly fine-grained and managed. A hint of oaky sweetness on the finish, combined with soft ripe stone fruit. Beautifully balanced, fantastic intensity. Age-worthy but a real joy to drink right now. Extremely skillful winemaking at work here.
Tasted November 2022