This is a terrific wine that is one big step above your standard Rosso and one tiny step below your standard Brunello. The Canalicchio di Sopra 2018 Rosso di Montalcino is a fresh and versatile wine. The 2018 vintage was cool and had more rainfall than average. Windy conditions dried and helped to concentrate the fruit right before harvest. This wine is made from a selection of the estate's youngest vines, with about 90% of the fruit coming from the Canalicchio area and 10% from Montosoli. I had a glass with a delicious plate of vegetarian lasagna. This wine moves across the palate with steely precision, breaking up any cheese, butter or olive oil flavors along the way. It offers a snappy, lean to medium-weight drinking style with lots of freshness and enough texture to withstand some near-term cellar aging.

The bouquet is rich, displaying foresty wild berry, sweet herbal tones, and spices, along with hints of earth and undergrowth. On the palate, silky textures give way to red berries with a savory mix of herbs and spice, zesty acids and minerals. The finish is long on tart wild berry fruits, zippy acids, saturating spices and lasting mineral tones.

Underbrush, grilled herb, wild berry and blue-flower aromas shape the nose. On the vibrant palate, vigorous acidity and taut fine-grained tannins accompany sour cherry, strawberry and a hint of espresso.