Le Ragnaie Troncone 2024

Le Ragnaie Troncone 2024, Sangiovese without detours

I'm stopping at this Toscana Rosso for one specific reason: it tells a story of freedom of choice. The Troncone 2024 is a Sangiovese from the highlands of Montalcino, offered outside the region's prestigious appellation, without trying to hide what makes it unique. If you enjoy Tuscan reds rooted in their grape variety and origin, this bottle deserves your attention.

The highlands of Montalcino, the choice of Sangiovese

Le Ragnaie is the estate of Riccardo Campinoti, based in Montalcino. To defend his vision of Sangiovese, the producer chose to step outside the appellation framework: the Troncone vines grow at over 600 meters of altitude, higher than this designation allows. The wine is therefore presented as IGP Rosso Toscana. Its name, Troncone — "stump" — pays tribute to Riccardo's grandfather's nickname and to an old way of making wine.

This cuvée is made from Sangiovese, from vines about fifteen years old, planted on soils of sandstone, limestone and clay. The grapes are hand-harvested at full ripeness, then fermented with their skins and native yeasts in cement tanks. The estate uses no chemical products in the vineyards or in the cellar. The wine is labeled as organic and vegan. For aging, the available information is not entirely consistent: the detailed description mentions one year in used Slavonian oak barrels, while another indicates eighteen months in cement tanks and barriques. I prefer to point out this difference rather than smooth it over.

The sources do not provide detailed notes on color, nose or palate aromas; so I won't invent a tasting profile. They do, however, place the wine in a fruity and spicy register, with moderate wood presence and a medium body. These are style markers, not a list of guaranteed aromas. The 2024 vintage thus offers a taste of a young expression of Sangiovese, shaped by marked altitude, careful winemaking and wood aging described as measured.

At the table, between cured meats and red meat

I would serve it with a plate of cured meats, aged cheeses or red meat: pairings suggested for this wine, which leave Sangiovese its full place. You can also choose it for a meal where you take the time to talk about what is in the glass: a grape variety, a high-altitude terroir and a producer who preferred to follow his own path. The Troncone 2024 offers an accessible entry point into this approach, without needing to know Montalcino inside out.