2015 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

Canalicchio di Sopra was founded by Primo Pacenti in 1962, and is now run by his grandchildren Francesco, Simonetta and Marco. Their 19 hectares of vineyards are planted in Canalicchio and Montosoli on northern side of Montalcino, and each of these locations lend an elegance and grace to these exquisite Sangiovese wines. All wines are aged in medium sized Slavonian oak botti.

Other Reviews....
The Canalicchio di Sopra 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a beauty. It offers a brilliant interpretation of a warm and sunny vintage from cool, mineral-rich soils in an area with steep shifts between day and nighttime temperatures. This is one of those special wines in which the vintage characteristics fit the territory with the precision of a jigsaw puzzle. The bouquet is fluid and complex with tart cherry fruit, cola, licorice, aniseed and blue flower. That aniseed comes around a second time. The arrangement and order of those aromas changes with each successive swirl of the glass. This Riserva is fermented in stainless steel and aged in Slavonian oak casks for 36 months. Drink 2025 - 2050.
98 points
Monica Larner - Wine Advocate (Dec 2020)

The 2015 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a dark and exotic expression of Sangiovese. It pulls you closer to the glass with an alluring display, showing medicinal cherry, plum, a sweet dusting of cinnamon, clove and finally crushed violets. The textures are like pure silk being slowly draped across your palate, offset by tart red and black fruits, as a complex web of acids, minerals and tannins saturate, clamping down toward the close. Structured and tart, as it should be at this youthful phase, the 2015 is still just an infant, with the potential for over a decade’s worth of positive evolution. This year’s Riserva hails from fruit exclusively from the Vigna Vecchia Mercatale vineyard within the Canalicchio cru, and it spends only two extra months in 2,500-liter Slavonian oak casks prior to bottling. Tasted over the course of two days it got better each time I revisited it. Drink 2024 - 2036.
95+ points
Eric Guido - Vinous

An opulent red with black-cherry and plum aromas and flavors with undertones of orange peel and porcini mushrooms. It’s full-bodied and layered with depth and intensity throughout. Solid and layered. Very structured. Give this at least three to four years of bottle age. Try after 2024.
98 points
James Suckling