Podere Le Ripi, “Sogni e Follia” Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Tuscany, Italy, 2016

Overview of the Wine
Podere le Ripi is certified Organic and Biodynamic, having obtained Demeter certification. Demeter is the body that certifies and protects the integrity of Biodynamic agriculture and the products that result, both for consumers and for farmers. At Podere Le Ripi we started with biodynamic farming in 2012.

When I look at a wild forest, I can feel its incredible healthiness, I can smell marvelous aromas, I can walk on its soft soil; I realize that the absence of human intervention is the best way for these plants to express their own character. Biodynamics brings this wildlife power to our vines, a healthy strength.

What is wonderful about Biodynamics is that the studies made with these techniques have developed procedures, like the 500 or 501 preparations and the use of specific insects or hormones, that allow us to control diseases and parasites, quickly ameliorating the health of soil and plants.

Our vineyards are divided between two different sides of Montalcino: East and West. Each side of the hill holds completely different soil characteristics. That’s why we believed from the start in a research path that aims to offer wines that are pure, both in terms of vintage and geological area. Here the density of the vineyards varies between 5000 plants per hectare to 11100 vines per hectare, all the way to 62000 vines for the Bonsai vineyard. Mostly planted following ancient training methods such as goblet and guyot. The vineyards are constantly subjected to a natural breeze coming from the Orcia river and they are fairly well protected by the Amiata Mountain (1.738 masl) which allows Castelnuovo to be the driest subzone of Montalcino. Here we are able to express all the intensity of the best sangiovese with perfect mineral balance, which is the unmistakable character of these areas. The wines Bonsai, Lupi e Sirene and Amore e Magia are the main protagonists of this land.

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Grape / Blend
100% Sangiovese

Origin
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A deep ruby red with elegant orange shadows. In the nose, it expresses itself as a symphony of aromas going from the intense smell of cherry, strawberry, and violet to the fresh balsamic note of herbs. An impressive, broad structure that reveals a great minerality and a long lasting aftertaste.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of red berry, blue flower, leather and an earthy whiff of truffle waft out of the glass. Reflecting the nose, the taut, linear palate shows juicy Marasca cherry, baking spice, camphor and wild herb alongside lithe tannins and fresh acidity. It's savory, with youthful tension and while ready now it will offer several years of enjoyment. It's a fantastic Rosso. Drink through 2022.

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Similar to the Brunello Amore e Magia, the more accessible Podere le Ripi 2016 Rosso di Montalcino Sogni e Follia shows a beautiful dark ruby color with purple highlights. The bouquet is also very direct and raw, and even a touch carbonic in character. This adds to the wine's overall intensity and brightness. Red cherry, raspberry and bitter almond rise with strength and determination. Fruit for this wine comes from a six-hectare property on the west side of Montalcino, in the Camigliano or Pian delle Vigne area, with sandy limestone soils and some alluvial elements. This Rosso is aged in large oak casks and then goes into cement for a few months for final integration. Some 25,000 bottles were made. The wine was bottled in September 2018 and hit the market in January 2020.

Product size: 750ml