Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2021 by De' Ricci

De’ Ricci’s cellars date back to 1337. Walk through them and you can feel seven centuries leaning against the walls. Their 2021 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a 100% Sangiovese that captures that same dialogue between past and present in a glass.

It’s also the wine the house runs on: twenty-five to thirty thousand bottles per vintage, more than the Rosso and roughly twice the Soraldo.

What a Vino Nobile has to be

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a DOCG with tight rules. At least seventy percent Sangiovese, called Prugnolo Gentile here, and a minimum of two years’ ageing before it can be sold. De’ Ricci goes past the minimum: one hundred percent Sangiovese, then a full year in bottle after the wood.

From the 2021 harvest on, the appellation also has a new top tier, the Pieve, with twelve subzones and stricter rules still. I explained how that works in my La Grande Bellezza report.

Where the grapes grow

The fruit comes from the south of Montepulciano: volcanic soils, a cooler climate, vines eighteen years old. That goes some way to explaining the freshness in the glass. Warm-climate Tuscan Sangiovese can turn sluggish. This one doesn’t.

Specs

100% Sangiovese
18-year-old vines
Partial destemming, long 25-day maceration
Fermentation in stainless steel
18 months ageing in tonneaux and larger barrels
12 months bottle rest before release
25,000 to 30,000 bottles per vintage

Tasting Note

Appearance

Deep red, with the classic Sangiovese rim.

Nose

Red cherry, redcurrant and pomegranate, lifted by a touch of lemon zest and warm ginger. No heavy extraction, no oak overload.

Palate

Medium-full, tannins velvety and finely grained. Power and finesse stay in balance.

Finish

Calm; not a slap, more an invitation to pour another glass.

Two notes, one wine

At La Grande Bellezza in Amsterdam, in spring 2025, I wrote down something different. Chocolate, leather and cocoa on the nose, with warm cherry, strawberry and rosemary. High acidity with soft edges, tannins that ease off towards the finish, and a long, well-defined aftertaste.

Fruit and citrus in one note, leather and cocoa in the other. I won’t build a theory on that. But you now know the same bottle can show you two faces.

Open now, or wait

This is my reservation. It drinks now, but it will be more interesting in ten years, and it has the legs for well past fifteen. Open it today and you’re mostly drinking the promise. If you do, give it some air in a decanter before you sit down.

At the table

My second reservation: the acidity runs high in both my notes, even if it had soft edges in Amsterdam. Drink it with food, not on its own.

Classic match: bistecca alla fiorentina. Also at home alongside a wild boar ragù with pici, or an aged pecorino from Pienza.

Rosso, Nobile or Soraldo

Of the house’s three wines, this is the middle one, and to me the most sensible buy. The Rosso 2022 is for now, and varied a lot between my two tastings. The Soraldo 2020 is the cru: from older vines and made in much smaller numbers. This Nobile shows the most of what Montepulciano does with Sangiovese, and they make more of it than of the other two.

Producer: De' Ricci, Montepulciano
Wine: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Vintage: 2021
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Grapes: 100% Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile)
Vineyards: Southern Montepulciano, volcanic soils, 18-year-old vines
Winemaking: Partly destemmed, 25-day maceration, stainless steel fermentation
Ageing: 18 months tonneaux and large casks, 12 months bottle
Production: 25,000 to 30,000 bottles

Sources

My own tasting notes, spring 2025, and La Grande Bellezza, Amsterdam, spring 2025
Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: consorziovinonobile.it, for the DOCG rules and the Pieve