2015 Brunello di Montalcino Lupi e Sirene Riserva
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The 2015 Lupi e Sirene Brunello Riserva is true to the warmth of the vintage, expressed with black cherry fruit leather, licorice, and baked earth. The fruit is more dominant on the palate, balanced with a ripe tannic structure, with acidity that is less present than the more tension-driven 2016s, making this more approachable to drinking now or over the next ten years. 2021-2032. Podere Le Ripi is located in Castelnuovo dell’Abate and was founded by Francesco Illy in 1997. Today its production is led by head winemaker Sebastian Nasello. They are located at approximately 200 meters elevation. Today they are practicing biodynamic viticulture. The Cielo d’Ulisse is a new addition to their portfolio with the 2016 vintage and is sourced from vines in the southwest of the region, facing the Ombrone river.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
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With alberello or bush-trained vines, the Podere le Ripi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Lupi e Sirene is the estate's benchmark vineyard located on the crest of a hill just beyond the winery. The philosophy follows that of Mastrojanni's celebrated Vigna Schiena d'Asino, to which this wine shares some fraternal DNA. It shows a savory, leathery, earthy, mushroomy and animal-like character (in a positive way) with dark fruit, spice and cedar smoke. Like the other wines in this portfolio, aging takes it through large oak casks for more than three years, capped by eight months in cement. That last phase does an excellent job of pulling out the elegance and balance of the wine. Production is 10,000 bottles.
The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Lupi e Sirene Riserva is a high-energy, spicy and lifted expression of the vintage. Bright cherry and strawberry notes are complemented by hints of sage, mint, cinnamon and white smoke. There are depths of silky texture contrasting brisk acids, while ripe red berries blend with tactile minerality to create a juicy expression, one which really plays with the senses. An air of balsamic and coffee grinds on the finish is the only revealing hint of oak, as this tapers off to fine tannins and echoes of black licorice. It’s a thrill-ride of a Brunello Riserva.