The Le Ragnaie 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento (with 3,700 bottles made) is very pretty in this vintage with tart cherry and lifted aromas of cola, garden herb, blue flower and blood orange. This is usually my favorite of the three single-vineyard wines produced by this estate. I applaud the relatively contained 13.5% alcohol content that lets you enjoy more of the wine in one sitting. The tannins melt softly over the palate.

The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Passo del Lume Spento really takes its time to open up, at first dark and slightly herbal. With swirling pretty notes of wild strawberry, cedary spice and crushed rocks form in the glass. This glides across the palate, supple yet finessed, with a lovely inner sweetness and brilliant acidity that adds gravitas, as mineral-drenched red fruits slowly saturate. The 2018 finishes remarkably fresh, yet with admirable length and potency, as hints of sour cherry and inner sage slowly fade. What a darling. While completely unique and built more on energy than power, the Passo del Lume Spento is undoubtedly one of the standouts of the vintage.