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. EG Dec 2022

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. Nov 2022

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. 15% abv. Kerin O’Keefe November 2022 ©kerinokeefe.com

The Canalicchio di Sopra estate has 19 hectares of vineyard in in the north-eastern part of the Montalcino DOCG. Their 2018 Canalicchio di Sopra Vigna La Casaccia Brunello di Montalcino is a single vineyard wine with a clay and mineral rich soil. This 2018 has fragrant cherry, sweet herb and flower aromas. The oak is beautifully integrated and there are lots of warm spice, cream and green peppercorn notes. On the palate there is a delightful texture and weight. The tannins are a little more firmly extracted but refined and compact with a lovely bright acidity contributing to a long finish. A very sophisticated wine. Susan Hulme MW Feb 2023 The Wine Independent

A balance of sweet fruit and savory complexity in the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna La Casaccia is on display in its notes of polished leather, cherry lozenge, anise, and roses, followed by juicy ripe fruit throughout the palate, medium to full body, fine tannins, and a refreshing lift of acidity. Notes of red currant, orange oil, and dried herbs are also long on the palate. There is an ease about this wine that makes it more approachable and suggests drinking more immediately while waiting on the Montosoli in the cellar. Drink 2024-2039. AF March 2023

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. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036
Tasted by: Michaela Morris (at Villa Le Prata, Montalcino, 10 Nov 2022)

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. ML March 2023

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. BS