2020 Casa Raia Brunello di Montalcino

Just 2 km from Montalcino, at an altitude of 375 meters, we find the beautifully situated Casa Raia. The majority of the estate, comprising only 4.5 hectares, was planted in the late 1970s by Ludmilla Temertey, who handed over the reins to her daughter Kalyna and her husband Pierre Jean Monnoyer in 2006. Pierre Jean's motto is “il vino viene fatto in vigna,” which roughly translates to “the vine determines the wine.” The goal at Casa Raia is therefore to preserve the biodiversity and natural balance of the vineyards. The vineyards are dotted with a variety of organic plants and flowers that supply natural nutrients to the soil. Consequently, the entire estate is organically certified.

For Pierre Jean, however, this does not go far enough. For instance, the vines here are pruned according to the cycles of the moon, and work continues for fourteen days while the moon is on its waning path. All grapes are still cultivated and harvested by hand. Even the French oak Allier barrels and Bourrassé corks used meet their strict sustainability standards.
The result is therefore stunningly good. We are talking about beautiful, authentic, elegant Brunellos and IGTs of a very high standard.

The Montalcino wine-producing area is bordered by the valleys of the Orcia, Asso, and Ombrone rivers. Its shape is almost circular, with a diameter of 16 km and an area of 24,000 hectares. The Bevilo production area is located in Orcia DOC, between that of Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano, one of the most important areas for the production of great wines.

Although typically Mediterranean, the climate is due to the varying orientations of our slopes and the modulation of the surrounding hills, with rainfall concentrated in spring and late autumn (annual average 700 mm). The proximity of Monte Amiata (altitude 1,740 m) to the southeast offers natural protection against exceptional situations such as cloudbursts or hail. The estate, situated on its own promontory 375 meters above sea level, is unaffected by late fog or frost that can occur in the valleys. Winds blowing from all four directions guarantee optimal conditions in all seasons. Throughout the entire vegetative phase of the vine, the weather is predominantly warm with mostly sunny days, ensuring a gradual and complete ripening of the bunches.

After manual picking and selection in the vineyard by our own staff and again in the winery, the grapes are aged in old French oak barrels in an underground cellar where humidity exchange is achieved through floor vents beneath the barrels. The wines undergo natural malolactic fermentation before the winter and are subsequently transferred to the oak barrels, leaving the lees behind. While natural evaporation takes place, the barrels are topped up and the aging process is closely monitored.

The Casa Raia Brunello subsequently ages for 4 years in oak barrels, allowing natural settling to take place without filtration. In the glass, the Casa Raia Brunello di Montepulciano has an intense ruby red color with purple hues. On the nose, the wine is very complex; upon opening the wine after swirling it well, we detect aromas of fresh fruit, elegantly followed by tertiary elements such as forest floor, humus, and truffle. Pierre Jean Monnoyer is a Frenchman from Montepulciano, so compared to the other top houses, the style here is less bombastic, less jammy, and more elegant, with fresh fruit, good acidity, and a fresh yet very long finish on the palate. It is not without reason that Casa Raia belongs to our exclusive assortment, for this is not just any Brunello, but one of the best, as evidenced by the 94/100 points from James Suckling and no less than 18/20 points from Jancis Robinson (one of Jancis's highest scores for a Brunello). In his younger years, open the bottle a few hours in advance so that it can 'breathe'.