THIS WEEK'S TASTING FLIGHT:

Le Ragnaie

Three expressions of Sangiovese, from everyday charm to Brunello depth

This week, we turn our attention to Le Ragnaie, one of Montalcino’s most respected estates and a leading voice in a more classical, site-driven expression of Brunello di Montalcino. Guided by a philosophy of restraint, transparency, and long-term stewardship, Le Ragnaie is known for wines that emphasize balance and place over power.

Farming some of the highest-elevation vineyards in Montalcino, the estate benefits from cooler temperatures and extended growing seasons that naturally preserve freshness and aromatic lift. In both vineyard and cellar, Le Ragnaie favors minimal intervention: native fermentations, concrete vats, and aging in large-format Slavonian oak, ultimately allowing Sangiovese to speak with clarity and confidence.

Please make note, this week’s tasting flight is an abridged and different version of the single-vineyard wines we'll be showing at tomorrow's Voices of Brunello special event.

Our weekend flight really extends the excitement we have for this producer and offers more of an accessible introduction to Le Ragnaie’s lineup. Whether you’re newly curious about Brunello or revisiting the region with fresh perspective, the flight provides a clear, high-level look at how Le Ragnaie interprets Sangiovese across styles and structure.

Our $33 tasting flight showcases three wines that showcase Sangiovese:

‘Troncone’ Toscana IGT 2023

• Fresh, vibrant, and expressive, offering a clear introduction to the estate’s style.

Rosso di Montalcino 2022

• Layered and balanced, bridging everyday drinkability with Montalcino’s signature structure.

Brunello di Montalcino 2021

• Poised and refined, capturing the elegance and longevity that define great Brunello.

For those looking to explore further, and for those who couldn't make the Voices of Brunello event (or because we sold-out of tix), we’ve made the full Le Ragnaie collection (including limited single-vineyard Brunellos) available to view online, with the opportunity to pre-order for arrival next week.



View the Le Ragnaie Collection →

Please note: these single-vineyard Brunellos are being offered exclusively in connection with the event and will only be available outside of the event via pre-order through Thursday at midnight. After that window, availability will be limited to the tasting itself. Wines featured in the weekly flight will be available through Sunday, while supplies last.

Whether as an introduction through the flight, or as the starting point for a deeper exploration, join us in the Tasting Room tonight through Sunday to experience Le Ragnaie’s wines. See you soon!

Cheers,

Mark & the Petit Philippe team

A QUICK NOTE: We will be closing to the public at 5 PM tomorrow (Thursday, 1/29) to prepare for our "Voices of Brunello" event.

Help Shape What’s Next at Petit Philippe

As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we’re taking a thoughtful pause to listen. Petit Philippe has always been about more than what’s in the glass... it’s about how we discover, learn, and experience wine together.

We’ve created a short survey to better understand how you engage with Petit Philippe today, and what you’d love to see more of in the future. Whether you join us for weekly tastings, special events, or simply trust us to help you choose the right bottle, your perspective plays a meaningful role in shaping what comes next.

The survey takes less than five minutes, responses may be anonymous, and it closes Saturday, January 31. As a thank you, participants may opt in for a chance to receive a $75 Petit Philippe gift card.

Saturday, January 31st | 3-5 PM

January Wine Club Tasting & Pickup Party

🍷 Taste exciting new selections curated for next month's offering while picking up your Club wine

🍷 Learn about our 2026 Wine Club membership perks & exclusive events

🍷 Enjoy a complimentary tasting as a Club Member (or join us for just $15 if you're not yet a member).

*Tasting fee is waived when you sign up for a new club membership.

📍 Drop in anytime between 3pm - 5pm for a relaxed and welcoming experience!

Learn More About Wine Club →

Join Us for Weekly Tasting Flights

Available during the hours below

5:00 - 7:00 pm | Wednesday

5:00 - 9:00 pm | Friday

1:00 - 9:00 pm | Saturday

1:00 - 7:00 pm | Sunday

Le Ragnaie

'Troncone' Toscana IGT 2023

Tuscany • Italy

$35 retail

A vibrant, expressive take on Sangiovese that captures Le Ragnaie’s balance and purity in its most immediately enjoyable form. Troncone offers a clear introduction to the estate’s style: fresh, transparent, and driven by site rather than weight or oak.

Drawn from younger vines and select parcels outside the Brunello appellation, the 2023 vintage leans into brightness and clarity. A cooler growing season preserved lively acidity and aromatic lift, resulting in a wine that feels agile, precise, and effortlessly drinkable.

Varietals & Vinification: 100% Sangiovese, fermented in concrete with native yeasts and gentle extraction. Aged primarily in large-format Slavonian oak to maintain freshness and varietal purity, with minimal intervention throughout the winemaking process. 

Tasting Notes: Bright ruby in color, with aromas of sour cherry, wild strawberry, and subtle herbal notes. The palate is fresh and linear, framed by fine tannins and vibrant acidity, finishing clean and lightly savory.

A versatile, food-friendly Tuscan red that rewards both casual enjoyment and closer attention... an inviting starting point for exploring Le Ragnaie’s range or Sangiovese in general.

Bring a Bottle Home →

Le Ragnaie

Rosso di Montalcino 2022

Tuscany • Italy

$49 retail

A more layered and expressive take on Sangiovese that bridges the immediacy of Troncone with the depth and structure of Brunello. Crafted with the same precision and restraint as their Brunello, offering remarkable clarity of site and some boldness even in its youth.

The 2022 vintage brings a touch more generosity and warmth to the wine, while retaining freshness and balance thanks to Le Ragnaie’s high-elevation vineyards. The result is a Rosso that feels composed and complete: approachable now, yet built with the estate’s signature sense of proportion.

Varietals & Vinification: 100% Sangiovese sourced from estate vineyards in Castelnuovo dell’Abate. Fermented in concrete vats with native yeasts and extended maceration to build structure and aromatic depth. Aged in large-format Slavonian oak vats, with no clarification and minimal intervention to preserve purity and texture. 

Tasting Notes: Medium ruby in color, with aromas of ripe cherry, red plum, and dried herbs layered with subtle savory tones. The palate is supple yet focused, offering red fruit depth, fine-grained tannins, and a lingering, balanced finish.

An elegant, quietly complex Rosso that rewards both immediate enjoyment and thoughtful tasting - an ideal expression of Montalcino’s character outside the formality of Brunello.

Bring a Bottle Home →

Le Ragnaie

Brunello di Montalcino 2021

Tuscany • Italy

$117 retail

A poised, site-driven expression of Brunello that captures Le Ragnaie’s hallmark elegance and sense of place. Drawn from some of Montalcino’s highest-elevation vineyards, this wine emphasizes freshness, clarity, and structure over sheer power, offering a refined interpretation of the appellation.

The 2021 vintage is widely regarded as one of harmony between balance and precision. Cool nights preserved aromatic lift and acidity, while steady ripening delivered depth without excess, resulting in a Brunello that feels both classical and expressive in its youth.

Varietals & Vinification: 100% Sangiovese from estate vineyards across Le Ragnaie’s high-altitude sites. Fermented in concrete with native yeasts and extended maceration to build texture and complexity. Aged in large-format Slavonian oak vats, allowing the wine to evolve slowly while preserving purity, tension, and transparency of site.

Tasting Notes: Bright ruby with garnet highlights. Aromas of red cherry, wild strawberry, and rose petal unfold alongside notes of dried herbs and subtle earth. The palate is layered yet precise, framed by fine, chalky tannins and vibrant acidity, with a long, savory finish that speaks to both structure and finesse.

A Brunello of restraint and confidence: compelling now with air, yet clearly built for graceful evolution over time.

Bring a Bottle Home →

Reset & Refresh Pick

Mindful Sipping | Low Alcohol

Mindful sipping doesn’t have to mean abstaining... it can also mean choosing wines that feel lighter, fresher, and more balanced in the glass. As we move beyond Dry January, we’re continuing our Reset & Refresh focus by highlighting wines that offer all the pleasure of great winemaking, with a little less alcohol.

Our Low Alcohol curation highlights wines that deliver flavor and character with naturally lower alcohol, making them ideal for easy enjoyment. These are wines designed to complement everyday moments: a casual weeknight dinner, an early evening pour, or simply a desire for something a bit more restrained.

Explore the Low Alcohol Curation →

Producer Deep Dive: Le Ragnaie

Montalcino, Tuscany | Italy

Founded at the turn of the 21st century, Le Ragnaie represents a quiet but deeply influential force in modern Brunello di Montalcino. While the estate’s vineyards have long histories, the contemporary identity of Le Ragnaie took shape under the stewardship of Riccardo Campinoti, who assumed full control of the property in 2002 with a clear and uncompromising vision: to produce Brunello defined by transparency, balance, and site expression rather than power or extraction.

Le Ragnaie is distinguished first and foremost by its vineyards. The estate farms some of the highest-elevation sites in Montalcino, including parcels near the village itself as well as holdings in Castelnuovo dell’Abate. This diversity of altitude and exposure allows the winery to harness natural freshness and acidity (hallmarks of the house style) while maintaining consistency across vintages. In a region often associated with warmth and richness, Le Ragnaie has helped reframe altitude as a defining advantage rather than a limitation.

In the cellar, Campinoti’s approach is resolutely traditional and deliberately restrained. Fermentations take place in concrete using native yeasts, with extended macerations that prioritize finesse and structure over concentration. Aging is carried out exclusively in large-format Slavonian oak, avoiding the influence of new wood and allowing Sangiovese’s natural aromatics, tannin profile, and sense of place to remain front and center. Intervention is kept to a minimum, with clarity and balance guiding every decision.

What makes Le Ragnaie particularly notable is its philosophical consistency. The same principles applied to Brunello extend seamlessly to Rosso di Montalcino and Toscana IGT bottlings, creating a clear throughline across the range. Each wine serves as a different lens on Sangiovese, unified by freshness, precision, and an unmistakable sense of origin.

Today, Le Ragnaie is widely regarded as one of the leading voices in a more classical, site-driven interpretation of Brunello di Montalcino. Through thoughtful vineyard stewardship and disciplined winemaking, the estate has played a meaningful role in shaping contemporary perceptions of the region, demonstrating that elegance, longevity, and authenticity remain central to Brunello’s enduring identity.

Regional Overview: Tuscany

Italy's Enduring Reference Point for Sangiovese

Tuscany sits at the philosophical center of Italian wine. More than a single style or appellation, it functions as a reference point: defining how grape variety, tradition, and place can work in harmony. Across its hills and valleys, wine has long been shaped not for immediacy or excess, but for longevity, balance, and life at the table.

At the heart of this identity is Sangiovese, a grape whose personality shifts dramatically with site. In Tuscany, Sangiovese is less about fruit intensity and more about structure, acidity, and nuance. Elevation, soil composition, and exposure all play outsized roles, making the region a patchwork of expressions rather than a single voice.

Modern Tuscany is also defined by range. Alongside historic DOCG appellations, the emergence of Toscana IGT in the late 20th century gave producers freedom to step outside traditional rules... whether through vineyard selection, aging choices, or stylistic intent. This flexibility allows estates like Le Ragnaie to offer wines at different levels of structure and immediacy, all rooted in the same philosophy of balance and restraint.

Shop Tuscan Wines →

Appellation Focus: Montalcino

Where Altitude and Patience Define Power

Located south of Siena, Montalcino is one of Tuscany’s most distinct and tightly defined wine zones. Unlike broader appellations, Montalcino’s reputation rests almost entirely on a single wine: Brunello di Montalcino.

The name Brunello originates from a local term historically used to describe a darker, thicker-skinned biotype of Sangiovese grown around Montalcino—what we now recognize as Sangiovese Grosso. Over time, “Brunello” became synonymous not just with the grape, but with a style: structured, long-lived, and deeply tied to place. Today, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG requires 100% Sangiovese and extended aging before release, reinforcing the appellation’s commitment to patience and longevity.

Montalcino’s wide range of elevations (among the most dramatic in Tuscany!) creates striking contrasts within a relatively small area. Higher-altitude sites emphasize freshness, aromatic lift, and tension, while warmer, lower zones deliver broader texture and depth. This diversity allows producers to shape wines that balance power with precision, especially in more classical, site-driven interpretations.

Understanding the Montalcino Hierarchy

Toscana IGT

• Wines produced with greater flexibility, often from younger vines or parcels outside DOCG boundaries. These bottlings emphasize immediacy, freshness, and approachability while still reflecting the estate’s core philosophy.

Rosso di Montalcino DOC

• Made from the same grape as Brunello, but with shorter aging requirements. Rosso offers a more accessible, earlier-drinking expression of Montalcino, often showcasing vibrancy and clarity alongside structure.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

• The pinnacle expression: 100% Sangiovese, extended aging, and wines built for long-term evolution. Brunello reflects not just fruit and site, but time... rewarding patience with complexity and depth.

Why Montalcino Matters

Montalcino represents one of Italy’s clearest examples of how discipline, elevation, and restraint can produce wines of both power and grace. Its best producers (Le Ragnaie among them) demonstrate that Brunello is not about excess, but about proportion: acidity balanced with tannin, fruit framed by structure, and tradition guided by thoughtful evolution.

This week’s Le Ragnaie flight traces that progression: from vibrant Toscana IGT, through expressive Rosso, to the quiet authority of Brunello, offering a cohesive look at how one estate interprets Montalcino across levels, styles, and time.

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