2017 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento IGT

96 POINTS

Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Le Ragnaie 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento (with 3,020 bottles made) sees its fruit sourced from one of the highest places in the appellation, or the "pass of the extinguished lantern," as the wine's name translates into English. It is part of a broader trend that Montalcino vintners seem to be looking for cooler, high-altitude growing sites for Sangiovese. This wine demonstrates without a doubt that elevation is key in obtaining elegance in the warm years. This Brunello is particularly bright, punchy and energetic. It is one of the stars of this report.

93 POINTS

Michaela Morris - Decanter

Prior to regulation changes in 2016, 600 metres was the upper limit for Brunello di Montalcino. From a single vineyard which sits on a sandstone plateau at 621 metres above sea level, this first release of Passo del Lume Spento is particularly significant, not just for Le Ragnaie but for the entire region especially as it corresponds with the blistering 2017 vintage. A harbinger of the future? It exhibits fresh aromas of lavender and fennel with warm, fragrant earth and a subtle smokiness. A mid-weight, crunchy, sinewy wine, it tastes of red berries squeezed from rocky earth, accompanied by tangy acidity.

92 POINTS

Eric Guido - Vinous

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento lifts up with a delicate bouquet of sweet herbs and tobacco, incredibly lifted yet spicy, and a bit exotic, as a flourish of mineral-laden crushed stone fills the glass. It’s silky-smooth and savory, presenting a pure display of wild berries enlivened by bright acidity and a salty flourish. This tapers off lean and mineral in nature, with grippy tannins offset by a burst of sour citrus. The Passo del Lume Spento hails from what Riccardo Campinoti believes is currently the highest-elevation vineyard-producing Brunello in the region, at 621 meters. It found a very pretty balance in the 2017 vintage.

91 POINTS

Falstaff

Clear, intense garnet red. Opens with slightly malty notes, followed by ripe wild raspberries and strawberries, but somewhat subdued overall. Firm, hearty tannins, lots of vivid cherry fruit, but then quite brittle on the finish, appears considerably angular.