VINI

The intensity of fruit is staggering here, as this stacks up dried peaches, dried strawberries, red licorice, red-plum compote and glazed red cherries, in rapid succession. There’s a breadth of flavor to the palate that will take your breath away; muscular tannins draw in deeply set cherries, melding it together in a glistening coating of acidity, which only helps to carry it longer still. The finish is nearly endless. A stunning new single vineyard from Canalicchio di Sopra. Drink from 2026.

Lifting up with gorgeous floral perfumes and hints of white smoke, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia from Canalicchio di Sopra keeps you at the edge of your glass. It opens up with a dark and dramatic display of balsamic-tinged black cherry, sage and Indian spice, contrasted by savory notes of tobacco, rich earth tones and flowery undergrowth. There’s an amazing density of fruit here, offset by salty minerals, zesty acids and a hint of sour citrus. The textures are velvety-smooth, yet the expression remains feminine and lifted. In fact, you can hardly notice its underlying tannic heft until it’s too late, as the 2016 La Casaccia seems to youthfully fold in on itself, halting the expression but promising over a decade of further development.
- Eric Guido 

The Vigna Casaccia 2018 opens with aromas of underbrush, leather, dark spice and whiffs of violet. More closed than the Brunello Annata, it’s also more structured, showing ripe dark-skinned berry, licorice, tobacco and balsamic notes recalling eucalyptus. Tight, fine-grained tannins provide support while great acidity keeps it fresh and balanced. Drink 2026–2040.
- Kerin O'Keefe

The Canalicchio di Sopra 2018 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia reveals medium-dark fruit and an open-knit approach with broad brushstrokes of black cherry, baked plum and spice. The alcohol content is too high at 15%, and that added power takes away from the finer nuances of the fruit. It ages in Slavonian oak for 36 months; however, the freshness is good in this wine. This is a limited release of 3,733 bottles and 200 magnums.
-Monica Larner

A delicate, graceful style, offering cherry, fruitcake, sage, eucalyptus, iron and leather flavors. Firm and nicely balanced, with a long, expanding aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2042.

- Bruce Sanderson -

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is impossible to ignore; it is earthy and mineral, almost smoky and animal in nature. Ashes stones, violets and balsam herbs complicate depths of dried black cherries, sage and clove. This is deeply textural and seductive, balancing ripe red and black fruits with sweet spice and minty herbal tones that create a kaleidoscope of sensation on the palate. A salty flourish shines through the finale, along with a crunchy tinge of blackberry seeds to contrast, as fine-grained tannins wrap the sense with youthful poise and a bitter twang resonates. The 2019 may be immortal. La Casaccia is a showstopper. Drinking window 2026-2040.

- Eric Guido -

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 

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia opens with an intense mix of zesty red fruits, spice and alluring sweet florals, backed by dark earth, crushed stone, hints of licorice, and a twang of savory herbs. On the palate, silky textures are contrasted by saline-minerals and brisk acids, as red berry fruits flood the senses along with savory herbs and spices, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannin. The finish is long, displaying lingering spiced red berries enlivened by resonating acids, saline-mineral tones and a hint of fine tannin. Talk about a great way to release a new single-vineyard bottling, The 2015 is classic to the core.
- Eric Guido 

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.
-Monica Larner 

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia is aromatically stunning, blasting up mineral in style, with a dark floral and balsam lift, giving way to licorice, black cherry and hints of camphor. It gains further depth and volume the longer it sits in the glass. The textures are silken, fleshy and pliant at first, as contrasting tart red fruits and minty herbal tones come through, saturating the palate with primary concentration. This is even savory at times and displays smoother contours than past vintages, yet it’s supremely balanced and pure. Repeating minerality comes through in spades and this turns youthfully dry and perfumed, yet still juicy and classic in feel. La Casaccia is a huge success for the vintage.
- Eric Guido 

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. Production is limited to 4,133 bottles in this vintage
- Monica Larner

A dark mix of crushed rocks and flowery underbrush is lifted by nuances of dried strawberry and worn leather as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia smolders up from the glass. It’s silky in feel, communicating a wonderful elegance, with ripe red and hints of blue fruits accentuated by inner violet tones. This is potent and long through the finale, with sneaky tannins, staining the palate with liquid florals, as a hint of citrus-tinged black currant slowly fades. The 2018 is a beautifully balanced Brunello of this vintage.
- Eric Guido 

Francesco Ripaccioli explains that La Casaccia’s clay soils absorbed the rains of September, initially diluting the grapes. He credits the subsequent dry northern winds with concentrating the berries as the estate waited until 28 September to pick. The resulting wine is certainly one of the vintage’s more solidly structured Brunello and also displays the darkest fruit of the estate’s trio of bottlings. Cherry and even blackcurrant are met with sage, rosemary and wet soil. The firmly built palate of dense fruit is framed by clingy tannins, while underlying juiciness keeps it bright and buoyant.
- Michaela Morris 

Whereas Montosoli is more mineral-driven and finely stitched together, this wine is broad, big and driven by balsamic tones, vapor rub and dried rosemary.
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia, however, is more explosive with spice, toasted coffee, black licorice, cherry cola and rich cherry. The tannins feel chalky, although they are fine-grained, but they play a bigger role against the concentrated fruit. Only 7,200 bottles and larger formats were made. Drink Date 2025 - 2042.

- Monica Larner -

Rich and velvety, with cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus and juniper aromas and flavors, this is backed by a dense, steely structure, whose tannins leave a strong grip on the finish. Balanced, complex and long, with a saline, mineral impression persisting on the aftertaste. Best from 2027 through 2043, 147 cases imported.

- Bruce Sanderson -

Bright medium red. Very pretty violet and red cherry aromas and flavours with hints of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. Fleshy but precise, this finishes long clean and mineral. Owner Francesco Ripaccioli has arguably made the best pair of Brunellos of any estate from the 2018 vintage. Drinking window: 2027-2038.

- Ian D'Agata -

- Riccardo Viscardi -

Casaccia is a single vineyard in the Canalicchio area northeast of Montalcino. Here the cooler, windy mesoclimate and clay soils typically produce plump fruit, but with tannins of great finesse. This single cru bottling fulfils a long-term goal of owner Francesco Ripaccioli to capture the uniqueness of its various Sangiovese sites. The nose is initially earthy and dark with roasted chestnut, cigar and polished leather over amarena cherry. In keeping with the cooler 2018 vintage, a refreshing hit of acidity, menthol and eucalyptus strike the front palate just a beat before the fruit catches up. The tannins are like a finely woven wool suit that's cut close to the figure, but without being tight; the fruit returns on the finish, surprisingly fresher than before.

- Sarah Heller MW -

A single vineyard of great thickness and inimitable balance, nose with notes of cranberry, then touches of eucalyptus and gardenia, with hints of juniper. Brackish palate, thick, with a return of cranberry and spicy notes.

- Luca Gardini - 

Very dark ruby with bricky rim. Spicy, minerally notes over generous cherry fruit. Lots of supple cherry fruit with a dose of well-judged tannins that cling to the fruit on the finish. A little riper and fuller than Montosoli, but has the bones to age gracefully. Drink 2026 – 2038.

- Walter Speller - 

The Canalicchio di Sopra 2019 Vigna La Casaccia is fantastic. Generous and powerfully built, it also has a weightless grace, featuring aromas of black-skinned fruit, iris and camphor while the enveloping palate delivers ripe plum, mature black-skinned berry, licorice and cake spice. Velvety, enveloping tannins give it a smooth texture while fresh acidity keeps it balanced.

- Kerin O’Keefe -

La Casaccia is a brown clay with a prominence of calcium carbonate that gives this single vineyard sangiovese its colour. A place of high (8.2-8.3) pH characterized by the clay. "For me it's sleekness," tells Francesco Ripaccioli, "not opulence and less heaviness than from (a vineyard) of dense clay." La Casaccia from that calcareous clay is no simple Rosso or classic Brunello for that matter and it is immediately apparent that concentration and depth of all parts manage the wine's breadth at levels those drink earlier propositions do not. Similar grip to Riserva but not the same power although without tasting Riserva at the same time it would be hard to imagine how this could be improved or extrapolated upon. Simple but crazy complex and a most evocative elucidation to see this Brunello wooing with as much substance and intensity as it does - but these are the 2019s. A matter of deliberately annotating sangiovese and Casaccia through this interaction with a Brunello that enhances a taster's understanding, recall and reaction to the vintage. Drink 2027-2038. 

- Michael Godel -

Medium-deep. Vibrant aromas of strawberry, peppery herbs and truffle. Then smooth and sultry, with multilayered flavours of red cherry, preserved plum, star anise, cinnamon and oaky spices. Long, balanced and suave on the rising finish. This will be a knockout in due course. Drinking window: 2030-2044.

- Ian D'Agata -

Bright ruby red in colour. Aromatics of blue florals, dried herbs and mellow spice. Small dark fruits abound, liquorice, blonde tobacco and distant cinnamon. Close knit fine tannins. Not an easy wine to fully appreciate at first, it has tremendous resonance, great structural integrity and soft textural curves. This wine is unique in as much it plays “hide and seek” with its interviewer. Personally I know it’s a stunning wine that needs time to relax and show all its fine character.

- Tony Wood -

Produced since the 2015 vintage, Vigna Casaccia is fashioned from 30-year-old vines of the BBS11 clone. Reaching 315 metres, the plot is characterised by a high percentage of brown, magnesium-rich clay. Surely the most impressive release yet, the 2019 exhibits the cru’s intrinsic sumptuous character and girth, along with telltale resinous herb nuances of rosemary, thyme and eucalyptus. yet this year, there is an extra spark. Through that expansiveness, an underlying firmness keeps this from overflowing its limits. Plump fruit marked with a mineral lick and terracotta earthiness is all wrapped up in smooth, velvety tannins, and it carries its 15% alcohol with ease and grace. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2041

- Michaela Morris -

The Vigna wines at Canalicchio are part of a long-standing project by Francesco Ripaccioli to isolate single plots within the estate. La Casaccia is in the Canalicchio cru, the more calcareous, clay-rich area surrounding the winery, and was planted in 1990. The nose starts savoury, with cheese rind and fresh mushroom opening up to reveal pretty notes of honeysuckle over blood orange and dried amarena cherry, reflecting the gentle warmth of the vintage. It gradually becomes sweeter and more strawberry-toned as the reduction from 36 months in large botti blows off. Mouthwatering acidity ushers in a palate lively with much brighter, redder cherry fruit than the nose, even shading into cranberry, with a pretty assortment of verbena and grassy herbs. There is an unexpected lightness and elegance to the mid-palate, graciously draped in slippery glycerol. The tannins are also quite luxuriant and baroque, forming folds of nappa leather on the back. Drink 2026 – 2045.

-  Sarah Heller MW -

The 2016 Casaccia is really opening up now, charting a glorious middle course between the 2017 and the 2018, with more of the delicate balsamic tones of 2018 (dried rosemary, thyme and tobacco leaf) but with some of the sweeter amaro tones of the ’17 (sarsaparilla, bitter orange and liquorice root), with, as usual, subtle wafts of crisp crimson fruit. The sense of openness continues on the palate, which is filled in and rich in its marasca cherry fruit with beautiful acidity. Tannins are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the mid-palate, giving it the tactility of fine-spun virgin wool. On the back, the fruit washes away to reveal savoury nuances of tobacco and rust, tapering beautifully to a close. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Tasted immediately after the 2016, 2015 reveals its slightly warmer, more potent personality, with darker balsamic and sweet amaro tones of liquorice, bitter orange and cocoa. The palate is dark but with a potent sense of fruit just beneath, its black cherry refined by sharpening tones of bergamot and blood-orange citrus. Tannins remain enormous and bristling, though they have gained some tenderness with time. The acidity illuminates, giving both brightness and forward propulsion. Lovely iodine salinity on the finish. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Standing in stark contrast to the 2018, the 2017 is benefiting from both its riper conditions and another year of maturation in bottle. The nose is a luscious black cherry and strawberry amalgam that feels quite potent for Canalicchio, never a very effusive cru, with layers of Darjeeling tea, liquorice candy and carob. The richness of the brown spice tones (not coming from oak, which is untoasted and large) is much more marked than in 2018, and the tannins are likewise much more gravelly and chewy, typical of this calcareous clay-rich site. The mid-palate swells with oud, styrax and tea leaves – smoky, sensuous and exotic – kept in check by fresh acidity. Rust tones come through on the finish, accompanied by refined notes of polished leather. Drink 2025-2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

The 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia pours a rich and youthful red/ruby color and is from the unique clay-based soils just outside the winery. This wine takes things up another notch, with notes of raspberry liqueur, licorice, toasted sage, and lavender perfume. Full-bodied, it has a lot to offer, with ripe tannins, balanced, even acidity, dark mineral accents, and pure lasting concentration of fruit all the way through a mouthwatering finish. A remarkable wine, I highly recommend seeking out it for your cellar and aging. Drink 2027-2050.

-  Audrey Frick -

From more clay-based soils, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Casaccia pours a bit deeper ruby color and is riper and broader in its feel, with deeper notes of fresh black cherries, mocha, and pressed flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it offers more richness on the palate, with ripe tannins and good concentration for this challenging, cooler vintage. Long on the palate, with a great finish, it’s a very successful and more age-worthy wine for this vintage. Drink 2026-2046. 

-  Audrey Frick -

A significant new release for Canalicchio di Sopra, La Casaccia is a single vineyard close to the winery in the district of Canalicchio, north of the town of Montalcino. Comparing it to his plots in Montosoli, owner Francesco Ripaccioli describes the soil here as a heavier brown clay with lots of magnesium giving more generous growth. It produces a relatively weighty, substantial wine with firm, sturdy tannins and balancing acidity. Notes of sage, tobacco, liquorice root and heather weave through the plush dark currant fruit. Both this and the classic Brunello are equally accomplished, however I suspect La Casaccia may have longer ageing capacity.
- Michaela Morris

A spectacular wine in every sense: a firm, deep, minerally fruit nose, a composed but full palate with finely chiselled tannins and perfectly integrated juicy acidity. Long and layered and impossible to resist but deserves more bottle age.
- Walter Speller 

A red with cherry, walnut, bark and hints of dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a tight finish. Really reserved now. Needs three or four years to open. Best after 2024.
- James Suckling 

English:
Sparkling, dark ruby ​​with a shimmering garnet edge. Compact, somewhat closed nose with notes of dark blackberries and cherries, a fine nougat note in the background. Blooms great on the palate, tightly meshed, substantial tannin, embedded in fine fruit melt, salty and juicy, is still very young, but has a long life ahead of it. 
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

Deutsche:
Funkelndes, dunkles Rubin mit schillerndem Granatrand. Kompakte, etwas verschlossene Nase mit Noten nach dunklen Brombeeren und Kirschen, im Hintergrund feiner Nougatton. Blüht am Gaumen toll auf, dichtmaschiges, stoffiges Tannin, eingebettet in feinen Fruchtschmelz, salzig und saftig, zeigt sich noch sehr jung, hat aber ein langes Leben vor sich.
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

This ripe red is bursting with plum, cherry, floral and mineral aromas and flavors. Succulent and balanced, with savory, sanguine and earthy accents, rolling on through the long, herb-tinged aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2045. 
- Bruce Sanderson

Lustrous mid ruby. Leafy cherry hints but otherwise quite closed on the nose, yet with a clear sense of purity. Dense, yet elegant and with tangy acidity shooting through the mouth-filling fruit. Firm noble tannins add depth and contour. Real cru pedigree.
- Walter Speller

The second release of this single vineyard, La Casaccia was planted in 1990. At an average altitude of 300 metres, it sits on predominantly clay soils and is bathed in sun from morning until evening. This doesn’t have quite the plushness or gregarious personality of the 2015 but takes on the 2016 vintage’s more vertical path, opening slowly. Aromas are evocative of pine, cedar and sage. Full but not weighty, the palate brings in earthy nuances with wild berries.
Acidity is cleansing, and silky tannins build up to a powerful finish.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2040
- Michaela Morris 

Brunello di Montalcino LA CASACCIA 2016 obtained the CORONA, the highest recognition assigned by GUIDA VINI BUONI D'ITALIA 

This shows the ripeness of the vintage, with ripe-berry, cherry and floral
aromas and flavors. Some cedar, too. It’s full and flavorful, with lots of chewy
yet polished and focused tannins. A little dusty in texture. Drinkable now,
but better in 2023.
- James Suckling

Nobile ed elegantissimo mostra note miste floreali e fruttate che ricordano i gerani, l’ibisco, le prugne rosse, la buccia di arancia arsa, la china e la terra bagnata. Corpo pieno, tannini perfettamente maturi ed integrati nella matrice ed un finale iconico punto di riferimento per la denominazione nel difficile millesimo. Meglio dal 2023.
- Raffaele Vecchione

This is where all the recent hard work put by Francesco Ripaccioli and team really comes to light and fruition. La Casaccia is northerly-ish but certainly not Montosoli and yet the aromatic profile of this Vigna-designate Brunello is laced with cool nuance and found to be full of fine finesse. As per the Canalicchio di Sopra idiom there is plenty of wood casking through the bones of the wine and yet one can feel the highest quality of those large vessels gifting a select strength leading to the chic style, surely to be followed by one and the half decades of aging. All what needs, what is and must be for La Casaccia. Drink 2023-2030. Tasted November 2021. 
- Michael Godel 

Da uve brunello, matura in botti da 30 hl per almeno 24 mesi. Classico rubino. Olfatto nitido e intenso su ciliegie nere mature e more. Una leggera affumicatura che introduce erbe officinali che danno freschezza. Trama e progressione fitte, nervose con tannino giovanile ma perfettamente integrato. Ottimo il finale per lunghezza e sobrietà. La zona nordica esprime le sue caratteristiche anche in annate torride ma qui c’e il trucco: piovve a metà settembre.
- Riccardo Viscardi

A great release of Brunello from the northeast slope of the denomination. Nose of freshness and finesse, notes of raspberry, touches of fresh marjoram and undergrowth. The mouthfeel is juicy-savoury, dense, with a nice spicy finish and persistence.
- Luca Gardini 

Within the Canalicchio area, the Casaccia vineyard boasts a high clay content, which helped curb water stress in 2017. As with all Canalicchio di Sopra’s wines, the grapes were double-sorted to remove any green or sun-dried berries. Pristine in aromas and flavours, this offers clove, cardamom, mint and sweet dark earth on a backdrop of black cherries. The ample, mouth-filling palate is hemmed in by compact, sandy tannins. Underlying succulence makes this quite moreish. Drinking Window 2024 - 2032
- Michaela Morris

Inviting aromas of baked plum, violet, baking spice and sun-warmed hay come to the forefront along with a whiff of leather. The enveloping palate is delicious, delivering ripe Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and nutmeg framed in tightly woven, polished tannins that lend finesse and a smooth texture. Drink 2024–2029.
-Kerin O’Keefe

Black cherry and blackberry flavors hold court in this dense, yet vibrant red, which is defined by brisk acidity. Stays beautifully integrated, harmonious and long, while earth and savory herb accents add depth. This should really sing in about 2-3 years. Best from 2024 through 2040.
- Bruce Sanderson

Just mid ruby with orange tinges. A subdued nose with malt-bread notes. Needs to take a very deep breath, while revealing oak hints. The palate displays fragrant marasca-cherry fruit balanced by supple acidity. Very long, concentrated and with beautiful, coating tannins.
- Walter Speller 

Profondo, un po' tabacco, catrame e un po' nocciola, aroma di bacche nere e rosse mature con sfumature floreali secche che ricordano i petali di rosa e un po' di note eteree. Crostata, matura, frutta piuttosto scura, aromi di noce e legno leggermente speziato di cacao, note pepate e di ginepro, mineralità salata, con tutta la sua potenza anche note rinfrescanti, buona profondità, struttura ferma, abbastanza complesso, ma trasparente e lucido, ancora giovane, molto buono, fermo, crostata e finale speziato.

Reviewed by Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

Brunello di Montalcino LA CASACCIA 2017 obtained the CORONA, the highest recognition assigned by GUIDA VINI BUONI D'ITALIA 

Einladende Noten von Waldbeeren und Sandelholz; der Ansatz geschliffen, besitzt präzise Säure und engmaschiges Tannin, intensiv-würziges Fruchtfinale. Muss sich noch etwas abrunden.
- Christian Eder

Absorbing display of black cherry, blackberries, violet florals and menthol. Quickly followed by fresh juicy textured nuances of red berries and balsamic notes, leave you almost gasping for breath. Sweet notes then savoury ones bombard the senses on this hedonistic experience. Phenomenal length and balance.
- Tony Wood

From the highly vocated vineyard of the same name, a beautiful version of Brunello, typical of the north-eastern area of the denomination. Freshness to the nose, notes of black raspberry, touches of eucalyptus and undergrowth. The palate is juicy-sapid, dense, with return of fruit and undergrowth.
- Luca Gardini 

A tiny bit more developed (than the classic 2018 Brunello) lustrous ruby with orange, bricky narrow rim. There is a sense of richness combined with mineral intensity on the nose. Pure cherry and raspberry with a hint of orange and cinnamon bark. Juicy, minerally and savoury on the palate and with finely chiselled tannins. 15% but very elegant and poised.
-Walter Speller

Cedro peel, lavender, sour cherries, redcurrants and hints of lemongrass on the nose. Full-bodied, silky and perfumed, with a fine tannin backbone and a weightlessness to it. Swathes of creamy ripe fruit. Drink after 2023.
- James Suckling 

Boom! Vigna la Casaccia nel millesimo 2018 è denso e compatto nel calice senza perdere in leggiadria e complessità sensoriale. Si alternano lentamente note di prugne nere, more, cannella in polvere, incenso, mirto selvatico, cumino e pepe nero. L’arancia sanguinella descrive il profilo secondario che si anima con buoni muscoli. Corpo pieno, tannini perfettamente morbidi di grana finissima ed un finale di lodevole bellezza. Meglio dal 2025. 
- Raffaele Vecchione 

Great anticipation to taste La Casaccia and Montosoli side by each from a vintage carrying no option but to act out the passion play through the glaring clarity of a sense of place. There are facts involved and there is no hiding the truth formed by these plots of sangiovese in this vintage. By now it is understood how 2018 exists on its own accord at one with nature though Francesco Ripaccioli will tell you there are similarities with 2013, if only because that vintage was greatly ignored and is drinking well at this time. La Casaccia in the località of Canalicchio is the wildcard of Montalcino and tasting several wines from the frazione reveals a collective affinity supplied by the year’s gifts. Nothing was portioned or taken away from the ’18 Annata and yet this Vigna sings with even more range and depth than that wine. The acids are simply out of this proverbial world, the linear aspects drawn with precise architectural or even, in Old English speak, a Cutter’s line. Remarkable reserve in concentration and forward slicing finesse. Forever long. Forever young. Drink 2025-2038.  
- Michael Godel

Ruby red in colour. Wild meadow florals and violet awaken the senses. Wild black berries, boysenberry, dark plum and blackberry assisted by refreshing acidity and rounded tannins lift the palate to experience the layered intensity and textural resonance. The sheer appeal of this wine is mind blowing. Balance and energy are a given…

- Tony Wood -

Funkelndes Rubingranat mit aufhellendem Rand. Intensive und viel schichtige Nase mit feinen Noten nach Waldhimbeere, Schwarzkirsche und Rosen, im Hintergrund etwas Rauch. Kompakt in Ansatz und Verlauf, zeigt schöne reife Frucht, griffiges, dichtmaschiges Tannin, baut sich in vielen Schichten auf.

Brunello di Montalcino Trophy 2023

- Wolfgang M. Rosam, Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler -

Ebenso sehr komplexes und dichtes, nobles Bouquet mit à point reifen, überwiegend dunkelroten Beeren, dunklen Kirschen, Veilchen, Pfeffer und wieder erdigkräutrigen Noten. Sehr klar umrissenes Duftbild, das sich am dichten und druckvollen Gaumen fortsetzt. Das feinsandige Tanninkleid umhüllt gekonnt und nobel die konzentrierte Frucht und die würzig-mineralischen Noten, spannt sich ganz weit und ist ewig lang. Schöne Liaison aus Kraft und Eleganz mit der typischen Sangiovese-Frucht und Würze mit herrlichen ätherischen Noten im persistenten, mineralisch geprägten Finale. Einer der besten der Verkostung. Top 3. Bravo!

Guida 2024 - sezione "Vini da vitigni autoctoni"

Ausladendes Bouquet mit einer schönen Liaison aus reifer Frucht und floralwürzigen Noten. Hier treffen die saftigen Pflaumen auf getrocknete Veilchen und Zedernwürze. So geht es auch am saftigen Gaumen: wunderschöne SangioveseFrucht (dunkle Kirsche, Zwetschge) umrahmt von floralwürzigen und zart ledrigen Noten. 2025 – 2036

- Giuseppe Lauria -

Coinvolgente e di notevole spessore enologico mostra complessità nella stratificazione di prugne rosse, fragoline di bosco, buccia di lime, glicine, timo selvatico, bosso e verbena. In sottofondo nuance nobili di carattere verde ricordano le foglie di tè verde e la menta piperita. Corpo medio, tannini morbidi di grana fine ed un finale equilibrato e piacevolissimo che fa della delicata potenza la sua arma migliore. Meglio dal 2025.

- Raffaele Vecchione -

Sweet sour cherries with rose stems and hints of green leaves on the nose. Medium body with firm, chewy tannins with some juicy fruit. Fresh and vivid. Better after two or three years.

- James Suckling -

Vitae, La Guida Vini 2024 - X edizione 

Tra i 5 migliori Brunello di Montalcino 2018 Selezione

Bright medium red with garnet highlights. Aromas and flavours of ripe red cherry, plum, and orange peel are complemented by strong notes of tobacco and earth. Perfumed and luscious on entry, then somewhat broad and diffuse in the middle, with ripe red cherry, plum nectar and redcurrant jelly flavours complicated by a dusting of wild herbs. Very fine tannins leave a suave mouthfeel behind on the long, savoury finish that features repeating strong nuances of sweet pipe tobacco. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

- Ian D’Agata -

Ungemein komplexes und tiefgestaffeltes, ätherisch-kräutriges Bouquet mit à point reifen, überwiegend dunklen Beeren, Tabak und wieder erdig-kräutrigen Noten. Sehr klar umrissene Struktur am Gaumen, messerscharf konturiert, ungemein druckvoll, gekonnt umhüllt vom feinen, eleganten Tanninkleid, nobel mit konzentrierter Frucht und würzig-mineralischen Noten, spannt sich ganz weit mit wunderbarer Fruchtsüße und Frische. Schöne Liaison aus Kraft und Eleganz, sehr persistent und lang im Finale mit der typischen Sangiovese Würze und ätherischen Noten. Einer der besten der Verkostung. [2026 – 2042]

- Giuseppe Lauria -

Leuchtendes Rubinrot. In der Nase auf erdigen Tönen, satter Kirschfrucht, etwas Blutorange, nicht ganz präzise, wenngleich in sich stimmig. Am Gaumen geschliffen, elegant, mit engmaschigem, packendem Tannin, kompakt, sehr saftig, toller Stil, druckvoll, mit anhaltendem Abgang.

Brunello di Montalcino Trophy 2024

- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler -

5 Grappoli

- Guida Bibenda 2025 -

A red ruby color, the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is layered and draws you in with aromas of leather, black cherries, and wild herbs. Medium to full-bodied, with a weightless feel, the tannins are more plush and ripe, and it has a supple texture as well as a long, elegant finish. Drink 2024-2044.

- Audrey Frick -

The intensity of fruit is staggering here, as this stacks up dried peaches, dried strawberries, red licorice, red-plum compote and glazed red cherries, in rapid succession. There’s a breadth of flavor to the palate that will take your breath away; muscular tannins draw in deeply set cherries, melding it together in a glistening coating of acidity, which only helps to carry it longer still. The finish is nearly endless. A stunning new single vineyard from Canalicchio di Sopra. Drink from 2026.

Lifting up with gorgeous floral perfumes and hints of white smoke, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia from Canalicchio di Sopra keeps you at the edge of your glass. It opens up with a dark and dramatic display of balsamic-tinged black cherry, sage and Indian spice, contrasted by savory notes of tobacco, rich earth tones and flowery undergrowth. There’s an amazing density of fruit here, offset by salty minerals, zesty acids and a hint of sour citrus. The textures are velvety-smooth, yet the expression remains feminine and lifted. In fact, you can hardly notice its underlying tannic heft until it’s too late, as the 2016 La Casaccia seems to youthfully fold in on itself, halting the expression but promising over a decade of further development.
- Eric Guido 

The Vigna Casaccia 2018 opens with aromas of underbrush, leather, dark spice and whiffs of violet. More closed than the Brunello Annata, it’s also more structured, showing ripe dark-skinned berry, licorice, tobacco and balsamic notes recalling eucalyptus. Tight, fine-grained tannins provide support while great acidity keeps it fresh and balanced. Drink 2026–2040.
- Kerin O'Keefe

The Canalicchio di Sopra 2018 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia reveals medium-dark fruit and an open-knit approach with broad brushstrokes of black cherry, baked plum and spice. The alcohol content is too high at 15%, and that added power takes away from the finer nuances of the fruit. It ages in Slavonian oak for 36 months; however, the freshness is good in this wine. This is a limited release of 3,733 bottles and 200 magnums.
-Monica Larner

A delicate, graceful style, offering cherry, fruitcake, sage, eucalyptus, iron and leather flavors. Firm and nicely balanced, with a long, expanding aftertaste. Best from 2025 through 2042.

- Bruce Sanderson -

Dark and brooding, the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia slowly blossoms in the glass with a dramatic mix of steeped plums, cinnamon sticks, grilled herbs and sweet lavender. This is a model of purity, lifted and refined with soft textures and cool-toned acidity lending freshness as ripe red and hints of blue fruit settle upon the senses. The 2020 firms up through the finish, taking on a pleasantly bitter tinge that puckers the cheeks as grippy  tannins and crunchy mineral tones frame the experience without getting in the way of its energetic persona. Drinking window 2027 – 2038.

- Reviewed by Eric Guido -

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 

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia opens with an intense mix of zesty red fruits, spice and alluring sweet florals, backed by dark earth, crushed stone, hints of licorice, and a twang of savory herbs. On the palate, silky textures are contrasted by saline-minerals and brisk acids, as red berry fruits flood the senses along with savory herbs and spices, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannin. The finish is long, displaying lingering spiced red berries enlivened by resonating acids, saline-mineral tones and a hint of fine tannin. Talk about a great way to release a new single-vineyard bottling, The 2015 is classic to the core.
- Eric Guido 

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.
-Monica Larner 

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia is aromatically stunning, blasting up mineral in style, with a dark floral and balsam lift, giving way to licorice, black cherry and hints of camphor. It gains further depth and volume the longer it sits in the glass. The textures are silken, fleshy and pliant at first, as contrasting tart red fruits and minty herbal tones come through, saturating the palate with primary concentration. This is even savory at times and displays smoother contours than past vintages, yet it’s supremely balanced and pure. Repeating minerality comes through in spades and this turns youthfully dry and perfumed, yet still juicy and classic in feel. La Casaccia is a huge success for the vintage.
- Eric Guido 

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. Production is limited to 4,133 bottles in this vintage
- Monica Larner

A dark mix of crushed rocks and flowery underbrush is lifted by nuances of dried strawberry and worn leather as the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia smolders up from the glass. It’s silky in feel, communicating a wonderful elegance, with ripe red and hints of blue fruits accentuated by inner violet tones. This is potent and long through the finale, with sneaky tannins, staining the palate with liquid florals, as a hint of citrus-tinged black currant slowly fades. The 2018 is a beautifully balanced Brunello of this vintage.
- Eric Guido 

Francesco Ripaccioli explains that La Casaccia’s clay soils absorbed the rains of September, initially diluting the grapes. He credits the subsequent dry northern winds with concentrating the berries as the estate waited until 28 September to pick. The resulting wine is certainly one of the vintage’s more solidly structured Brunello and also displays the darkest fruit of the estate’s trio of bottlings. Cherry and even blackcurrant are met with sage, rosemary and wet soil. The firmly built palate of dense fruit is framed by clingy tannins, while underlying juiciness keeps it bright and buoyant.
- Michaela Morris 

Very intense and deep wine. The nose is savory, with earthy strawberries, cinnamon, sweet violets and even yellow stone-fruit. Full-bodied, graceful palate with velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. Long aftertaste. Grace and power go hand in hand here. Drinkable now, but best after 2025.

- James Suckling -

Bright medium red. Very pretty violet and red cherry aromas and flavours with hints of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. Fleshy but precise, this finishes long clean and mineral. Owner Francesco Ripaccioli has arguably made the best pair of Brunellos of any estate from the 2018 vintage. Drinking window: 2027-2038.

- Ian D'Agata -

- Riccardo Viscardi -

Casaccia is a single vineyard in the Canalicchio area northeast of Montalcino. Here the cooler, windy mesoclimate and clay soils typically produce plump fruit, but with tannins of great finesse. This single cru bottling fulfils a long-term goal of owner Francesco Ripaccioli to capture the uniqueness of its various Sangiovese sites. The nose is initially earthy and dark with roasted chestnut, cigar and polished leather over amarena cherry. In keeping with the cooler 2018 vintage, a refreshing hit of acidity, menthol and eucalyptus strike the front palate just a beat before the fruit catches up. The tannins are like a finely woven wool suit that's cut close to the figure, but without being tight; the fruit returns on the finish, surprisingly fresher than before.

- Sarah Heller MW -

The 2016 Casaccia is really opening up now, charting a glorious middle course between the 2017 and the 2018, with more of the delicate balsamic tones of 2018 (dried rosemary, thyme and tobacco leaf) but with some of the sweeter amaro tones of the ’17 (sarsaparilla, bitter orange and liquorice root), with, as usual, subtle wafts of crisp crimson fruit. The sense of openness continues on the palate, which is filled in and rich in its marasca cherry fruit with beautiful acidity. Tannins are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the mid-palate, giving it the tactility of fine-spun virgin wool. On the back, the fruit washes away to reveal savoury nuances of tobacco and rust, tapering beautifully to a close. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Tasted immediately after the 2016, 2015 reveals its slightly warmer, more potent personality, with darker balsamic and sweet amaro tones of liquorice, bitter orange and cocoa. The palate is dark but with a potent sense of fruit just beneath, its black cherry refined by sharpening tones of bergamot and blood-orange citrus. Tannins remain enormous and bristling, though they have gained some tenderness with time. The acidity illuminates, giving both brightness and forward propulsion. Lovely iodine salinity on the finish. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Standing in stark contrast to the 2018, the 2017 is benefiting from both its riper conditions and another year of maturation in bottle. The nose is a luscious black cherry and strawberry amalgam that feels quite potent for Canalicchio, never a very effusive cru, with layers of Darjeeling tea, liquorice candy and carob. The richness of the brown spice tones (not coming from oak, which is untoasted and large) is much more marked than in 2018, and the tannins are likewise much more gravelly and chewy, typical of this calcareous clay-rich site. The mid-palate swells with oud, styrax and tea leaves – smoky, sensuous and exotic – kept in check by fresh acidity. Rust tones come through on the finish, accompanied by refined notes of polished leather. Drink 2025-2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Forest floor, violet and pipe tobacco mingle with leather and baked plum on the impressive 2020 Vigna La Casaccia. Polished and enveloping, the full-bodied palate features succulent black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and spiced orange peel set against compact, close-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2029–2034.

- Kerin O’Keefe - 

Starting with this vintage, the Canalicchio di Sopra 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia carries a "Vigna" designation. La Casaccia is a two-hectare parcel with clay soils rich in minerals that was planted in 1990. Francesco Ripaccioli embarked on an estate-wide mapping project about 10 years ago to determine which parcels would be worthy of single-vineyard distinction. This wine always has an elegant brightness about it with aromas of iris root, blood orange and tart forest berry. This vintage delivers moderately more heft and intensity to the bouquet, although it remains understated in terms of palate. Give it more time to flesh out. Only 4,133 bottles were made. Drink Date 2026 – 2042.

- Monica Larner - 

From the vineyard of the same name in cru Canalicchio, aged for 36 months in oak from Slavonia, olfactory attack on notes of cranberry jam, ginger, then touches of wild mint and gardenia, with hints of juniper. The palate is salty, dense, with minty memories and small fruits.

- Luca Gardini - 

Mid ruby. Notes of dark earth and spice and, with aeration, focused fruit. But still not entirely open. Pure cherry fruit supported by grainy tannins. Firm structure and lots of lively sour-cherry fruit on the finish. Great balance, while the tannins need time to settle. Drink 2025 – 2034

- Walter Speller - 

Good full red. Inviting, rather cool, nuanced aromas of red berries, potpourri, violet, leather, smoke and minerals. Silky, delicately fleshy and suave, with a smooth, round texture and a seamless quality to its delicate spicy and fruity flavours nicely framed by fine-grained tannins and lingering notes of tobacco and camphor. A Brunello that conveys a classic nobility and that strikes me as being remarkably less chunky and thick than is usual for this bottling. Drinking window: 2030-2040.

- Ian D’Agata -

There is always something shared in common between the two single vineyards that is mitigated by the vintage from year to year – but Montosoli and Casaccia are very different wines. Here for the estate located block the extraction was lower, as was the maceration, to avoid any bitters or green possibilities. “Something was not perfectly mature” figures Francesco Ripaccioli. All that said there is more opulence, concentration and seduction from Casaccia but it plays a bit hard to get and to figure out. Take the time and stay with this Vigna because you need to be sure what kind of wine you are dealing with. A long relationship is necessary and time will tell what will be. Drink 2027-2036.

- Michael Godel -

From more clay-based soils, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Casaccia pours a bit deeper ruby color and is riper and broader in its feel, with deeper notes of fresh black cherries, mocha, and pressed flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it offers more richness on the palate, with ripe tannins and good concentration for this challenging, cooler vintage. Long on the palate, with a great finish, it’s a very successful and more age-worthy wine for this vintage. Drink 2026-2046. 

-  Audrey Frick -

The bright red/ruby-hued 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino La Casaccia is fresh and offers a deeper though equally pure aromatic profile, with notes of darker cherries, candied flowers, sweet sage, and mossy earth. Medium-bodied, it's richer on the palate as well, with ripe tannins and more depth, but it's long and inviting, with a hearty feel in its hints of leather and porcini mushroom on the finish. Drink over the coming two decades. Maturity 2025 – 2045.

-  Audrey Frick -

Helles Rubinrot mit violetten Reflexen. In der Nase nach gezuckerten Walderdbeeren, Hagebuttentee, Amarenakirsche und Minze, dahinter etwas Lavendel, etwas brandig. Am Gaumen viel reife Frucht, druckvoll, reife Gerbstoffe, gut eingebundene Säure, schöne Saftigkeit und Salzigkeit, elegantes Finale.

- Othmar Kiem and Simon Staffler -

A significant new release for Canalicchio di Sopra, La Casaccia is a single vineyard close to the winery in the district of Canalicchio, north of the town of Montalcino. Comparing it to his plots in Montosoli, owner Francesco Ripaccioli describes the soil here as a heavier brown clay with lots of magnesium giving more generous growth. It produces a relatively weighty, substantial wine with firm, sturdy tannins and balancing acidity. Notes of sage, tobacco, liquorice root and heather weave through the plush dark currant fruit. Both this and the classic Brunello are equally accomplished, however I suspect La Casaccia may have longer ageing capacity.
- Michaela Morris

A spectacular wine in every sense: a firm, deep, minerally fruit nose, a composed but full palate with finely chiselled tannins and perfectly integrated juicy acidity. Long and layered and impossible to resist but deserves more bottle age.
- Walter Speller 

A red with cherry, walnut, bark and hints of dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a tight finish. Really reserved now. Needs three or four years to open. Best after 2024.
- James Suckling 

English:
Sparkling, dark ruby ​​with a shimmering garnet edge. Compact, somewhat closed nose with notes of dark blackberries and cherries, a fine nougat note in the background. Blooms great on the palate, tightly meshed, substantial tannin, embedded in fine fruit melt, salty and juicy, is still very young, but has a long life ahead of it. 
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

Deutsche:
Funkelndes, dunkles Rubin mit schillerndem Granatrand. Kompakte, etwas verschlossene Nase mit Noten nach dunklen Brombeeren und Kirschen, im Hintergrund feiner Nougatton. Blüht am Gaumen toll auf, dichtmaschiges, stoffiges Tannin, eingebettet in feinen Fruchtschmelz, salzig und saftig, zeigt sich noch sehr jung, hat aber ein langes Leben vor sich.
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

This ripe red is bursting with plum, cherry, floral and mineral aromas and flavors. Succulent and balanced, with savory, sanguine and earthy accents, rolling on through the long, herb-tinged aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2045. 
- Bruce Sanderson

Lustrous mid ruby. Leafy cherry hints but otherwise quite closed on the nose, yet with a clear sense of purity. Dense, yet elegant and with tangy acidity shooting through the mouth-filling fruit. Firm noble tannins add depth and contour. Real cru pedigree.
- Walter Speller

The second release of this single vineyard, La Casaccia was planted in 1990. At an average altitude of 300 metres, it sits on predominantly clay soils and is bathed in sun from morning until evening. This doesn’t have quite the plushness or gregarious personality of the 2015 but takes on the 2016 vintage’s more vertical path, opening slowly. Aromas are evocative of pine, cedar and sage. Full but not weighty, the palate brings in earthy nuances with wild berries.
Acidity is cleansing, and silky tannins build up to a powerful finish.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2040
- Michaela Morris 

Brunello di Montalcino LA CASACCIA 2016 obtained the CORONA, the highest recognition assigned by GUIDA VINI BUONI D'ITALIA 

This shows the ripeness of the vintage, with ripe-berry, cherry and floral
aromas and flavors. Some cedar, too. It’s full and flavorful, with lots of chewy
yet polished and focused tannins. A little dusty in texture. Drinkable now,
but better in 2023.
- James Suckling

Nobile ed elegantissimo mostra note miste floreali e fruttate che ricordano i gerani, l’ibisco, le prugne rosse, la buccia di arancia arsa, la china e la terra bagnata. Corpo pieno, tannini perfettamente maturi ed integrati nella matrice ed un finale iconico punto di riferimento per la denominazione nel difficile millesimo. Meglio dal 2023.
- Raffaele Vecchione

This is where all the recent hard work put by Francesco Ripaccioli and team really comes to light and fruition. La Casaccia is northerly-ish but certainly not Montosoli and yet the aromatic profile of this Vigna-designate Brunello is laced with cool nuance and found to be full of fine finesse. As per the Canalicchio di Sopra idiom there is plenty of wood casking through the bones of the wine and yet one can feel the highest quality of those large vessels gifting a select strength leading to the chic style, surely to be followed by one and the half decades of aging. All what needs, what is and must be for La Casaccia. Drink 2023-2030. Tasted November 2021. 
- Michael Godel 

Da uve brunello, matura in botti da 30 hl per almeno 24 mesi. Classico rubino. Olfatto nitido e intenso su ciliegie nere mature e more. Una leggera affumicatura che introduce erbe officinali che danno freschezza. Trama e progressione fitte, nervose con tannino giovanile ma perfettamente integrato. Ottimo il finale per lunghezza e sobrietà. La zona nordica esprime le sue caratteristiche anche in annate torride ma qui c’e il trucco: piovve a metà settembre.
- Riccardo Viscardi

A great release of Brunello from the northeast slope of the denomination. Nose of freshness and finesse, notes of raspberry, touches of fresh marjoram and undergrowth. The mouthfeel is juicy-savoury, dense, with a nice spicy finish and persistence.
- Luca Gardini 

Within the Canalicchio area, the Casaccia vineyard boasts a high clay content, which helped curb water stress in 2017. As with all Canalicchio di Sopra’s wines, the grapes were double-sorted to remove any green or sun-dried berries. Pristine in aromas and flavours, this offers clove, cardamom, mint and sweet dark earth on a backdrop of black cherries. The ample, mouth-filling palate is hemmed in by compact, sandy tannins. Underlying succulence makes this quite moreish. Drinking Window 2024 - 2032
- Michaela Morris

Inviting aromas of baked plum, violet, baking spice and sun-warmed hay come to the forefront along with a whiff of leather. The enveloping palate is delicious, delivering ripe Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and nutmeg framed in tightly woven, polished tannins that lend finesse and a smooth texture. Drink 2024–2029.
-Kerin O’Keefe

Black cherry and blackberry flavors hold court in this dense, yet vibrant red, which is defined by brisk acidity. Stays beautifully integrated, harmonious and long, while earth and savory herb accents add depth. This should really sing in about 2-3 years. Best from 2024 through 2040.
- Bruce Sanderson

Just mid ruby with orange tinges. A subdued nose with malt-bread notes. Needs to take a very deep breath, while revealing oak hints. The palate displays fragrant marasca-cherry fruit balanced by supple acidity. Very long, concentrated and with beautiful, coating tannins.
- Walter Speller 

Profondo, un po' tabacco, catrame e un po' nocciola, aroma di bacche nere e rosse mature con sfumature floreali secche che ricordano i petali di rosa e un po' di note eteree. Crostata, matura, frutta piuttosto scura, aromi di noce e legno leggermente speziato di cacao, note pepate e di ginepro, mineralità salata, con tutta la sua potenza anche note rinfrescanti, buona profondità, struttura ferma, abbastanza complesso, ma trasparente e lucido, ancora giovane, molto buono, fermo, crostata e finale speziato.

Reviewed by Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

Brunello di Montalcino LA CASACCIA 2017 obtained the CORONA, the highest recognition assigned by GUIDA VINI BUONI D'ITALIA 

Einladende Noten von Waldbeeren und Sandelholz; der Ansatz geschliffen, besitzt präzise Säure und engmaschiges Tannin, intensiv-würziges Fruchtfinale. Muss sich noch etwas abrunden.
- Christian Eder

Absorbing display of black cherry, blackberries, violet florals and menthol. Quickly followed by fresh juicy textured nuances of red berries and balsamic notes, leave you almost gasping for breath. Sweet notes then savoury ones bombard the senses on this hedonistic experience. Phenomenal length and balance.
- Tony Wood

From the highly vocated vineyard of the same name, a beautiful version of Brunello, typical of the north-eastern area of the denomination. Freshness to the nose, notes of black raspberry, touches of eucalyptus and undergrowth. The palate is juicy-sapid, dense, with return of fruit and undergrowth.
- Luca Gardini 

A tiny bit more developed (than the classic 2018 Brunello) lustrous ruby with orange, bricky narrow rim. There is a sense of richness combined with mineral intensity on the nose. Pure cherry and raspberry with a hint of orange and cinnamon bark. Juicy, minerally and savoury on the palate and with finely chiselled tannins. 15% but very elegant and poised.
-Walter Speller

Cedro peel, lavender, sour cherries, redcurrants and hints of lemongrass on the nose. Full-bodied, silky and perfumed, with a fine tannin backbone and a weightlessness to it. Swathes of creamy ripe fruit. Drink after 2023.
- James Suckling 

Boom! Vigna la Casaccia nel millesimo 2018 è denso e compatto nel calice senza perdere in leggiadria e complessità sensoriale. Si alternano lentamente note di prugne nere, more, cannella in polvere, incenso, mirto selvatico, cumino e pepe nero. L’arancia sanguinella descrive il profilo secondario che si anima con buoni muscoli. Corpo pieno, tannini perfettamente morbidi di grana finissima ed un finale di lodevole bellezza. Meglio dal 2025. 
- Raffaele Vecchione 

Great anticipation to taste La Casaccia and Montosoli side by each from a vintage carrying no option but to act out the passion play through the glaring clarity of a sense of place. There are facts involved and there is no hiding the truth formed by these plots of sangiovese in this vintage. By now it is understood how 2018 exists on its own accord at one with nature though Francesco Ripaccioli will tell you there are similarities with 2013, if only because that vintage was greatly ignored and is drinking well at this time. La Casaccia in the località of Canalicchio is the wildcard of Montalcino and tasting several wines from the frazione reveals a collective affinity supplied by the year’s gifts. Nothing was portioned or taken away from the ’18 Annata and yet this Vigna sings with even more range and depth than that wine. The acids are simply out of this proverbial world, the linear aspects drawn with precise architectural or even, in Old English speak, a Cutter’s line. Remarkable reserve in concentration and forward slicing finesse. Forever long. Forever young. Drink 2025-2038.  
- Michael Godel

Ruby red in colour. Wild meadow florals and violet awaken the senses. Wild black berries, boysenberry, dark plum and blackberry assisted by refreshing acidity and rounded tannins lift the palate to experience the layered intensity and textural resonance. The sheer appeal of this wine is mind blowing. Balance and energy are a given…

- Tony Wood -

Funkelndes Rubingranat mit aufhellendem Rand. Intensive und viel schichtige Nase mit feinen Noten nach Waldhimbeere, Schwarzkirsche und Rosen, im Hintergrund etwas Rauch. Kompakt in Ansatz und Verlauf, zeigt schöne reife Frucht, griffiges, dichtmaschiges Tannin, baut sich in vielen Schichten auf.

Brunello di Montalcino Trophy 2023

- Wolfgang M. Rosam, Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler -

Ebenso sehr komplexes und dichtes, nobles Bouquet mit à point reifen, überwiegend dunkelroten Beeren, dunklen Kirschen, Veilchen, Pfeffer und wieder erdigkräutrigen Noten. Sehr klar umrissenes Duftbild, das sich am dichten und druckvollen Gaumen fortsetzt. Das feinsandige Tanninkleid umhüllt gekonnt und nobel die konzentrierte Frucht und die würzig-mineralischen Noten, spannt sich ganz weit und ist ewig lang. Schöne Liaison aus Kraft und Eleganz mit der typischen Sangiovese-Frucht und Würze mit herrlichen ätherischen Noten im persistenten, mineralisch geprägten Finale. Einer der besten der Verkostung. Top 3. Bravo!

Guida 2024 - sezione "Vini da vitigni autoctoni"

Ausladendes Bouquet mit einer schönen Liaison aus reifer Frucht und floralwürzigen Noten. Hier treffen die saftigen Pflaumen auf getrocknete Veilchen und Zedernwürze. So geht es auch am saftigen Gaumen: wunderschöne SangioveseFrucht (dunkle Kirsche, Zwetschge) umrahmt von floralwürzigen und zart ledrigen Noten. 2025 – 2036

- Giuseppe Lauria -

Vitae, La Guida Vini 2024 - X edizione 

Tra i 5 migliori Brunello di Montalcino 2018 Selezione

Bright medium red with garnet highlights. Aromas and flavours of ripe red cherry, plum, and orange peel are complemented by strong notes of tobacco and earth. Perfumed and luscious on entry, then somewhat broad and diffuse in the middle, with ripe red cherry, plum nectar and redcurrant jelly flavours complicated by a dusting of wild herbs. Very fine tannins leave a suave mouthfeel behind on the long, savoury finish that features repeating strong nuances of sweet pipe tobacco. Drinking window: 2023-2033.

- Ian D’Agata -

Tasted alongside the 2020 annata and Montosoli bottlings from this estate, it seems clear that La Casaccia (and probably its fellow Canalicchio cru vineyards, where soils are clay-rich and calcareous and exposures sunbathed) lies towards the darker end of the fruit spectrum for the vintage. The same black-cherry lusciousness found on the annata is there, with edifying notes of wild strawberry, cedar sprig and blood orange. The northern Montalcino balsamic qualities come through on the palate, while the black cherry is gone, replaced by a fragrant blend of blood orange, gunpowder tea, palo santo and dried peppermint, lending a cooling effect. Tannins are pebbly and fine. Acidity is not especially elevated, but the herbal tones, translucency, fluid texture and linearity make its mildness less noticeable. There are lovely ferrous tones with whispers of black cherry to finish, giving a satisfying sense of symmetry. Drink 2027 – 2044.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Solare al naso, ricorda di succo di arance, zest di limone, chicchi di melagrana e fragoline di bosco. Nel profilo secondario, cedro in pezzi e ginger. Al palato, corpo pieno, tannini vividi ed un finale succoso. Meglio dal 2026.

- Raffaele Vecchione -

A red ruby color, the 2016 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is layered and draws you in with aromas of leather, black cherries, and wild herbs. Medium to full-bodied, with a weightless feel, the tannins are more plush and ripe, and it has a supple texture as well as a long, elegant finish. Drink 2024-2044.

- Audrey Frick -

Ungemein komplexes und elegantes, kräutriges Bouquet mit à point reifen, überwiegend roten und blauen Beeren, Tabak und wieder erdig-kräutrigen Noten. Sehr klar umrissene Struktur am Gaumen, super saftig, feinmaschig und finessenreich, messerscharf konturiert, ungemein elegant, gekonnt umhüllt vom feinen, eleganten Tanninkleid, mit feiner Frucht und würzigmineralischen Noten, spannt sich ganz weit und ist ewig lang mit wunderbarer Fruchtsüße und Frische. Schöne Eleganz, sehr persistent und lang im Finale mit der typischen Sangiovese-Würze und ätherischen Noten. Wieder einer der besten der Verkostung. [2026 – 2042]

- Giuseppe Lauria -

Beste Substanz, dicht gewoben, leicht opulent bei gleichzeitiger Frische, großer Genuss, jetzt, aber auch noch viele Jahre.

- Jens Priewe -

Fresco e profondo, profumo di tabacco di frutti di bosco scuri maturi con un po' di concentrato di pomodoro, erbe, un accenno di ciliegie, cuoio, selvaggina, terreno boschivo e fiori secchi. Frutta matura, densa, succosa e calda, note di tabacco, affumicate e nocciolate, spezia eterea fine, tannino presente, molto maturo e morbido, persistente e complesso al palato, sale sullo sfondo, note di pomodoro e erbe mediterranee, accennata molto buona cioccolata, note di ginepro e pepe, un accenno di cenere di tabacco e catrame, ottima e decisa chiusura. 

5 Grappoli

- Guida Bibenda 2026 -

The intensity of fruit is staggering here, as this stacks up dried peaches, dried strawberries, red licorice, red-plum compote and glazed red cherries, in rapid succession. There’s a breadth of flavor to the palate that will take your breath away; muscular tannins draw in deeply set cherries, melding it together in a glistening coating of acidity, which only helps to carry it longer still. The finish is nearly endless. A stunning new single vineyard from Canalicchio di Sopra. Drink from 2026.

Lifting up with gorgeous floral perfumes and hints of white smoke, the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia from Canalicchio di Sopra keeps you at the edge of your glass. It opens up with a dark and dramatic display of balsamic-tinged black cherry, sage and Indian spice, contrasted by savory notes of tobacco, rich earth tones and flowery undergrowth. There’s an amazing density of fruit here, offset by salty minerals, zesty acids and a hint of sour citrus. The textures are velvety-smooth, yet the expression remains feminine and lifted. In fact, you can hardly notice its underlying tannic heft until it’s too late, as the 2016 La Casaccia seems to youthfully fold in on itself, halting the expression but promising over a decade of further development.
- Eric Guido 

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is impossible to ignore; it is earthy and mineral, almost smoky and animal in nature. Ashes stones, violets and balsam herbs complicate depths of dried black cherries, sage and clove. This is deeply textural and seductive, balancing ripe red and black fruits with sweet spice and minty herbal tones that create a kaleidoscope of sensation on the palate. A salty flourish shines through the finale, along with a crunchy tinge of blackberry seeds to contrast, as fine-grained tannins wrap the sense with youthful poise and a bitter twang resonates. The 2019 may be immortal. La Casaccia is a showstopper. Drinking window 2026-2040.

- Eric Guido -

Dark and brooding, the 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia slowly blossoms in the glass with a dramatic mix of steeped plums, cinnamon sticks, grilled herbs and sweet lavender. This is a model of purity, lifted and refined with soft textures and cool-toned acidity lending freshness as ripe red and hints of blue fruit settle upon the senses. The 2020 firms up through the finish, taking on a pleasantly bitter tinge that puckers the cheeks as grippy  tannins and crunchy mineral tones frame the experience without getting in the way of its energetic persona. Drinking window 2027 – 2038.

- Reviewed by Eric Guido -

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 

The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia opens with an intense mix of zesty red fruits, spice and alluring sweet florals, backed by dark earth, crushed stone, hints of licorice, and a twang of savory herbs. On the palate, silky textures are contrasted by saline-minerals and brisk acids, as red berry fruits flood the senses along with savory herbs and spices, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannin. The finish is long, displaying lingering spiced red berries enlivened by resonating acids, saline-mineral tones and a hint of fine tannin. Talk about a great way to release a new single-vineyard bottling, The 2015 is classic to the core.
- Eric Guido 

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.
-Monica Larner 

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia is aromatically stunning, blasting up mineral in style, with a dark floral and balsam lift, giving way to licorice, black cherry and hints of camphor. It gains further depth and volume the longer it sits in the glass. The textures are silken, fleshy and pliant at first, as contrasting tart red fruits and minty herbal tones come through, saturating the palate with primary concentration. This is even savory at times and displays smoother contours than past vintages, yet it’s supremely balanced and pure. Repeating minerality comes through in spades and this turns youthfully dry and perfumed, yet still juicy and classic in feel. La Casaccia is a huge success for the vintage.
- Eric Guido 

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. Production is limited to 4,133 bottles in this vintage
- Monica Larner

Whereas Montosoli is more mineral-driven and finely stitched together, this wine is broad, big and driven by balsamic tones, vapor rub and dried rosemary.
The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino La Casaccia, however, is more explosive with spice, toasted coffee, black licorice, cherry cola and rich cherry. The tannins feel chalky, although they are fine-grained, but they play a bigger role against the concentrated fruit. Only 7,200 bottles and larger formats were made. Drink Date 2025 - 2042.

- Monica Larner -

Rich and velvety, with cherry, raspberry, eucalyptus and juniper aromas and flavors, this is backed by a dense, steely structure, whose tannins leave a strong grip on the finish. Balanced, complex and long, with a saline, mineral impression persisting on the aftertaste. Best from 2027 through 2043, 147 cases imported.

- Bruce Sanderson -

Very intense and deep wine. The nose is savory, with earthy strawberries, cinnamon, sweet violets and even yellow stone-fruit. Full-bodied, graceful palate with velvety tannins, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. Long aftertaste. Grace and power go hand in hand here. Drinkable now, but best after 2025.

- James Suckling -

A single vineyard of great thickness and inimitable balance, nose with notes of cranberry, then touches of eucalyptus and gardenia, with hints of juniper. Brackish palate, thick, with a return of cranberry and spicy notes.

- Luca Gardini - 

Very dark ruby with bricky rim. Spicy, minerally notes over generous cherry fruit. Lots of supple cherry fruit with a dose of well-judged tannins that cling to the fruit on the finish. A little riper and fuller than Montosoli, but has the bones to age gracefully. Drink 2026 – 2038.

- Walter Speller - 

The Canalicchio di Sopra 2019 Vigna La Casaccia is fantastic. Generous and powerfully built, it also has a weightless grace, featuring aromas of black-skinned fruit, iris and camphor while the enveloping palate delivers ripe plum, mature black-skinned berry, licorice and cake spice. Velvety, enveloping tannins give it a smooth texture while fresh acidity keeps it balanced.

- Kerin O’Keefe -

La Casaccia is a brown clay with a prominence of calcium carbonate that gives this single vineyard sangiovese its colour. A place of high (8.2-8.3) pH characterized by the clay. "For me it's sleekness," tells Francesco Ripaccioli, "not opulence and less heaviness than from (a vineyard) of dense clay." La Casaccia from that calcareous clay is no simple Rosso or classic Brunello for that matter and it is immediately apparent that concentration and depth of all parts manage the wine's breadth at levels those drink earlier propositions do not. Similar grip to Riserva but not the same power although without tasting Riserva at the same time it would be hard to imagine how this could be improved or extrapolated upon. Simple but crazy complex and a most evocative elucidation to see this Brunello wooing with as much substance and intensity as it does - but these are the 2019s. A matter of deliberately annotating sangiovese and Casaccia through this interaction with a Brunello that enhances a taster's understanding, recall and reaction to the vintage. Drink 2027-2038. 

- Michael Godel -

Medium-deep. Vibrant aromas of strawberry, peppery herbs and truffle. Then smooth and sultry, with multilayered flavours of red cherry, preserved plum, star anise, cinnamon and oaky spices. Long, balanced and suave on the rising finish. This will be a knockout in due course. Drinking window: 2030-2044.

- Ian D'Agata -

Bright ruby red in colour. Aromatics of blue florals, dried herbs and mellow spice. Small dark fruits abound, liquorice, blonde tobacco and distant cinnamon. Close knit fine tannins. Not an easy wine to fully appreciate at first, it has tremendous resonance, great structural integrity and soft textural curves. This wine is unique in as much it plays “hide and seek” with its interviewer. Personally I know it’s a stunning wine that needs time to relax and show all its fine character.

- Tony Wood -

Produced since the 2015 vintage, Vigna Casaccia is fashioned from 30-year-old vines of the BBS11 clone. Reaching 315 metres, the plot is characterised by a high percentage of brown, magnesium-rich clay. Surely the most impressive release yet, the 2019 exhibits the cru’s intrinsic sumptuous character and girth, along with telltale resinous herb nuances of rosemary, thyme and eucalyptus. yet this year, there is an extra spark. Through that expansiveness, an underlying firmness keeps this from overflowing its limits. Plump fruit marked with a mineral lick and terracotta earthiness is all wrapped up in smooth, velvety tannins, and it carries its 15% alcohol with ease and grace. Drinking Window: 2026 - 2041

- Michaela Morris -

The Vigna wines at Canalicchio are part of a long-standing project by Francesco Ripaccioli to isolate single plots within the estate. La Casaccia is in the Canalicchio cru, the more calcareous, clay-rich area surrounding the winery, and was planted in 1990. The nose starts savoury, with cheese rind and fresh mushroom opening up to reveal pretty notes of honeysuckle over blood orange and dried amarena cherry, reflecting the gentle warmth of the vintage. It gradually becomes sweeter and more strawberry-toned as the reduction from 36 months in large botti blows off. Mouthwatering acidity ushers in a palate lively with much brighter, redder cherry fruit than the nose, even shading into cranberry, with a pretty assortment of verbena and grassy herbs. There is an unexpected lightness and elegance to the mid-palate, graciously draped in slippery glycerol. The tannins are also quite luxuriant and baroque, forming folds of nappa leather on the back. Drink 2026 – 2045.

-  Sarah Heller MW -

The 2016 Casaccia is really opening up now, charting a glorious middle course between the 2017 and the 2018, with more of the delicate balsamic tones of 2018 (dried rosemary, thyme and tobacco leaf) but with some of the sweeter amaro tones of the ’17 (sarsaparilla, bitter orange and liquorice root), with, as usual, subtle wafts of crisp crimson fruit. The sense of openness continues on the palate, which is filled in and rich in its marasca cherry fruit with beautiful acidity. Tannins are seamlessly woven into the fabric of the mid-palate, giving it the tactility of fine-spun virgin wool. On the back, the fruit washes away to reveal savoury nuances of tobacco and rust, tapering beautifully to a close. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Tasted immediately after the 2016, 2015 reveals its slightly warmer, more potent personality, with darker balsamic and sweet amaro tones of liquorice, bitter orange and cocoa. The palate is dark but with a potent sense of fruit just beneath, its black cherry refined by sharpening tones of bergamot and blood-orange citrus. Tannins remain enormous and bristling, though they have gained some tenderness with time. The acidity illuminates, giving both brightness and forward propulsion. Lovely iodine salinity on the finish. Drink 2025 – 2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Standing in stark contrast to the 2018, the 2017 is benefiting from both its riper conditions and another year of maturation in bottle. The nose is a luscious black cherry and strawberry amalgam that feels quite potent for Canalicchio, never a very effusive cru, with layers of Darjeeling tea, liquorice candy and carob. The richness of the brown spice tones (not coming from oak, which is untoasted and large) is much more marked than in 2018, and the tannins are likewise much more gravelly and chewy, typical of this calcareous clay-rich site. The mid-palate swells with oud, styrax and tea leaves – smoky, sensuous and exotic – kept in check by fresh acidity. Rust tones come through on the finish, accompanied by refined notes of polished leather. Drink 2025-2041.

- Sarah Heller MW -

Forest floor, violet and pipe tobacco mingle with leather and baked plum on the impressive 2020 Vigna La Casaccia. Polished and enveloping, the full-bodied palate features succulent black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and spiced orange peel set against compact, close-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2029–2034.

- Kerin O’Keefe - 

Starting with this vintage, the Canalicchio di Sopra 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia carries a "Vigna" designation. La Casaccia is a two-hectare parcel with clay soils rich in minerals that was planted in 1990. Francesco Ripaccioli embarked on an estate-wide mapping project about 10 years ago to determine which parcels would be worthy of single-vineyard distinction. This wine always has an elegant brightness about it with aromas of iris root, blood orange and tart forest berry. This vintage delivers moderately more heft and intensity to the bouquet, although it remains understated in terms of palate. Give it more time to flesh out. Only 4,133 bottles were made. Drink Date 2026 – 2042.

- Monica Larner - 

From the vineyard of the same name in cru Canalicchio, aged for 36 months in oak from Slavonia, olfactory attack on notes of cranberry jam, ginger, then touches of wild mint and gardenia, with hints of juniper. The palate is salty, dense, with minty memories and small fruits.

- Luca Gardini - 

Mid ruby. Notes of dark earth and spice and, with aeration, focused fruit. But still not entirely open. Pure cherry fruit supported by grainy tannins. Firm structure and lots of lively sour-cherry fruit on the finish. Great balance, while the tannins need time to settle. Drink 2025 – 2034

- Walter Speller - 

The 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia pours a rich and youthful red/ruby color and is from the unique clay-based soils just outside the winery. This wine takes things up another notch, with notes of raspberry liqueur, licorice, toasted sage, and lavender perfume. Full-bodied, it has a lot to offer, with ripe tannins, balanced, even acidity, dark mineral accents, and pure lasting concentration of fruit all the way through a mouthwatering finish. A remarkable wine, I highly recommend seeking out it for your cellar and aging. Drink 2027-2050.

-  Audrey Frick -

Good full red. Inviting, rather cool, nuanced aromas of red berries, potpourri, violet, leather, smoke and minerals. Silky, delicately fleshy and suave, with a smooth, round texture and a seamless quality to its delicate spicy and fruity flavours nicely framed by fine-grained tannins and lingering notes of tobacco and camphor. A Brunello that conveys a classic nobility and that strikes me as being remarkably less chunky and thick than is usual for this bottling. Drinking window: 2030-2040.

- Ian D’Agata -

There is always something shared in common between the two single vineyards that is mitigated by the vintage from year to year – but Montosoli and Casaccia are very different wines. Here for the estate located block the extraction was lower, as was the maceration, to avoid any bitters or green possibilities. “Something was not perfectly mature” figures Francesco Ripaccioli. All that said there is more opulence, concentration and seduction from Casaccia but it plays a bit hard to get and to figure out. Take the time and stay with this Vigna because you need to be sure what kind of wine you are dealing with. A long relationship is necessary and time will tell what will be. Drink 2027-2036.

- Michael Godel -

The bright red/ruby-hued 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino La Casaccia is fresh and offers a deeper though equally pure aromatic profile, with notes of darker cherries, candied flowers, sweet sage, and mossy earth. Medium-bodied, it's richer on the palate as well, with ripe tannins and more depth, but it's long and inviting, with a hearty feel in its hints of leather and porcini mushroom on the finish. Drink over the coming two decades. Maturity 2025 – 2045.

-  Audrey Frick -

Helles Rubinrot mit violetten Reflexen. In der Nase nach gezuckerten Walderdbeeren, Hagebuttentee, Amarenakirsche und Minze, dahinter etwas Lavendel, etwas brandig. Am Gaumen viel reife Frucht, druckvoll, reife Gerbstoffe, gut eingebundene Säure, schöne Saftigkeit und Salzigkeit, elegantes Finale.

- Othmar Kiem and Simon Staffler -

A significant new release for Canalicchio di Sopra, La Casaccia is a single vineyard close to the winery in the district of Canalicchio, north of the town of Montalcino. Comparing it to his plots in Montosoli, owner Francesco Ripaccioli describes the soil here as a heavier brown clay with lots of magnesium giving more generous growth. It produces a relatively weighty, substantial wine with firm, sturdy tannins and balancing acidity. Notes of sage, tobacco, liquorice root and heather weave through the plush dark currant fruit. Both this and the classic Brunello are equally accomplished, however I suspect La Casaccia may have longer ageing capacity.
- Michaela Morris

A spectacular wine in every sense: a firm, deep, minerally fruit nose, a composed but full palate with finely chiselled tannins and perfectly integrated juicy acidity. Long and layered and impossible to resist but deserves more bottle age.
- Walter Speller 

A red with cherry, walnut, bark and hints of dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a tight finish. Really reserved now. Needs three or four years to open. Best after 2024.
- James Suckling 

English:
Sparkling, dark ruby ​​with a shimmering garnet edge. Compact, somewhat closed nose with notes of dark blackberries and cherries, a fine nougat note in the background. Blooms great on the palate, tightly meshed, substantial tannin, embedded in fine fruit melt, salty and juicy, is still very young, but has a long life ahead of it. 
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

Deutsche:
Funkelndes, dunkles Rubin mit schillerndem Granatrand. Kompakte, etwas verschlossene Nase mit Noten nach dunklen Brombeeren und Kirschen, im Hintergrund feiner Nougatton. Blüht am Gaumen toll auf, dichtmaschiges, stoffiges Tannin, eingebettet in feinen Fruchtschmelz, salzig und saftig, zeigt sich noch sehr jung, hat aber ein langes Leben vor sich.
- Othmar Kiem, Simon Staffler

This ripe red is bursting with plum, cherry, floral and mineral aromas and flavors. Succulent and balanced, with savory, sanguine and earthy accents, rolling on through the long, herb-tinged aftertaste. Best from 2024 through 2045. 
- Bruce Sanderson