"With alberello or bush-trained vines, the Podere le Ripi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Lupi e Sirene is the estate's benchmark vineyard located on the crest of a hill just beyond the winery. The philosophy follows that of Mastrojanni's celebrated Vigna Schiena d'Asino, to which this wine shares some fraternal DNA. It shows a savory, leathery, earthy, mushroomy and animal-like character (in a positive way) with dark fruit, spice and cedar smoke. Like the other wines in this portfolio, aging takes it through large oak casks for more than three years, capped by eight months in cement. That last phase does an excellent job of pulling out the elegance and balance of the wine." - RP