Le Ragnaie Passo Del Lume Spento Toscana Rosso 2021

Le Ragnaie Passo del Lume Spento, High-Altitude Sangiovese

There are wines that carry their landscape right into their name. Passo del Lume Spento comes from a perched hillside, where cool nights and sunny days give the Sangiovese conditions quite different from those of the lowlands. I recommend it if you enjoy characterful Tuscan reds, patiently aged and tied to one specific place.

A high-altitude terroir in the heart of Tuscany

Le Ragnaie is located in the Siena area and farms an estate of 28 hectares. The plot that gives rise to this wine sits on the slope of Passo del Lume Spento, at 621 meters above sea level. Here, Sangiovese cultivation contends with more pronounced climatic variations than on the plains. The temperature swings between day and night, the sunshine and the mineral soils resulting from erosion all help shape its expression. The wine is marketed as IGP Rosso Toscana, a designation that accompanies this Tuscan red without tying it to a more restrictive appellation.

The 2021 vintage is made by Riccardo Campinoti from Sangiovese. The vines are farmed organically, with attention paid to respecting the soils and the surrounding ecosystem, and reduced use of synthetic chemical products. In the cellar, fermentation proceeds traditionally in concrete tanks at controlled temperature, and the grapes then macerate for 90 days. The wine then ages 36 months in large 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak foudres. This long wood maturation supports the fruit without the oaky profile being presented as dominant.

The available tasting notes describe a red of medium to full body, with a spicier orientation more pronounced than its fruitiness. They also place it between youth and aging, leaning toward wood without going as far as a heavily oaked profile. The color and precise aromas are not described, so I prefer not to invent notes of fruit, spice or texture. What emerges from the information provided is a mountain Sangiovese designed to express the depth and elegance of its environment, with a structure nourished by long maceration and extended aging.

At the table, with dishes of character

I would serve it with game, red meat or a fine platter of cured meats, whose richness can match the wine's structure. Aged cheeses are also a natural pairing, especially if you want to extend the meal around bold flavors. It is a bottle to open when you want to take your time and compare, glass after glass, what a high-altitude Sangiovese reveals about Tuscany. Leave it a little room on the table, choose a simple and generous dish, and enjoy this encounter with a less expected Sienese terroir.