Producer Profile
About Canalicchio di Sopra
One of Brunello’s old guard, Canalicchio di Sopra was founded on land acquired by a former sharecropper, and Primo Pacenti, who started Canalicchio in 1962, was one of the people who made Brunello the wine it is. Primo handed Canalicchio di Sopra to his son-in-law, Pier Luigi Ripacciolo, and since 2001, the estate has been run by Pier Luigi’s son, Francesco, who has raised Canalicchio’s game to outstanding heights. With two vineyard parcels that sit north and east of the town of Montalcino, sheltered by Mount Amiata and kissed by sea breezes blowing off the Mediterranean, Canalicchio di Sopra’s 47 acres occupy some the highest altitudes in the Brunello region and possess sterling microclimates that protect their vines from too much heat, snow, or rain, as well as aberrant weather like hail. “Elegance” is the watchword at Canalicchio di Sopra, and this maker delivers, whether the estate’s the cru Brunello La Casaccia, a bottling that debuted with the 2015 vintage; its normale Brunello; its Brunello Riserva; or its Rosso di Montalcino.
