Ridolfi’s most valuable Brunello di Montalcino: winner of the Decanter Platinum Medal, and named one of Italy’s top-100 wines by The WineHunter. Fresh flavours of sweet blood orange, marmalade and cherry jam

If you drive three miles from the ancient city of Montalcino down by Strada Provinciale Brunello, you’ll come straight to Ridolfi. It’s a relatively new winery, but they’ve already made a name for themselves. A year ago, Donna Rebecca won the Platinum Medal at the Decanter Awards ceremony, and this year The WineHunter included this wine on its list of Italy’s 100 top wines.

What’s their secret? Gianni Maccari, the winemaker at Ridolfi, built the place from scratch using modern technology to give the new winery its edge. Of course, the work in the vineyards is still done by hand, respecting the traditions of Brunello. But, in the cellar, a new laser sorting machine picks the best Sangiovese grapes at lightning speed – and with much greater accuracy than a human could. As a result, Ridolfi only uses the healthiest grapes, which ultimately results in award-winning wines. Some new technology is applied in the vineyards. Instead of spraying pesticides to eradicate harmful bugs, Gianni uses tiny “confusion devices”, which produce a smell that messes with the insects’ senses. As a result, Ridolfi is able to avoid using chemicals that might otherwise end up in the glass.

Tasting notes: Medium garnet colour. On the nose, Donna Rebecca surprises you with bursting fresh aromas of blood orange, wild rose and redcurrant, with just a touch of charred wood, sweet orange marmalade and leather. This wine is from 2014, but it feels like it was made yesterday – the bottle is packed with incredible freshness. In the mouth, it offers the taste of freshly-squeezed red currant juice, mouth-watering blood orange, sweet orange marmalade and cherry jam. Donna Rebecca has visible but silky tannins, a high level of natural acid and high alcohol, but everything is well balanced and fully integrated. With a long finish, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

Wine Geek’s verdict: Thanks to the pronounced concentration of fruity flavours and high acidity, this wine will age really well in the cellar. I really want to keep one bottle and see what tastes will develop over the course of ten to fifteen years. Donna Rebecca is a bit pricey, but if you’re not intimidated by cost it’s definitely worth adding to your collection.

Awards: The WineHunter – Italy’s Top-100 wines, Gold Medal (2015 vintage) | Decanter Blind Tasting by Andrea Briccarello, 01 May 2021 – 97 points (2015 vintage) | Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 – 97 points, Platinum Medal (2014 vintage) | James Suckling – 94 points (2015 vintage)