Wine friends, 

Le Ragnaie needs no introduction in these parts. Nor does today’s first wine, Troncone.

Le Ragnaie’s 2019 Troncone was the first wine we ever sold, and this 2021 marks our third consecutive vintage offering Troncone. 

The bonus wine, Le Ragnie’s Rosso di Montalcino, makes its Open Tuesday debut today. 

Our allocation of the Rosso is very small, so I won’t say too much, except that…none other than Roscioli’s Alessandro Pepe has been known to proclaim the Rosso to be Le Ragnaie’s true masterpiece, over even the Brunello and cru bottlings: “No ragazzi, questo vino e’ il suo capolavoro.” I think it will sell out fast. (We’ll do our best to allocate your requests.)

The market has gone up on Troncone, but we've managed to maintain last year’s price.

Le Ragnaie - 2021 Troncone

Le Ragnaie’s 2021 Troncone is a highly drinkable, yet surprisingly substantial, red wine made just outside the Montalcino appellation. This 100 percent Sangiovese shows notes of ashy Tuscan herbs and sour cherry. In 2021, the tannins are gentle, leading to a refreshing mid-palate and close. The Troncone label consistently delivers remarkable quality at this price point, and it may be the best QPR wine sold anywhere in Italy. 

Bonus Wine

Le Ragnaie - 2020 Rosso di Montalcino

The Le Ragnaie 2020 Rosso di Montalcino is a sleek and textured red that gains elegance with every sip. In the Rosso di Montalcino appellation, this wine is absolutely unique. It’s more herbal, with less overt fruit than other Rossos, but it always has great length and thrilling, subtle flavor folds. This wine shows slightly darker fruit and more muscle than the 2019 Le Ragnaie Rosso (if you can find it!). Riccardo tells me it may drink better on day two. I didn’t get that far.

To order, just click the blue link above and follow the prompts.

Although it’s relatively inexpensive, Troncone is surprisingly profound and ageable. Last year, Open Tuesday members Dianna Bentley, Carlos Plazas, and I shared a bottle of the 2012 and it was still drinking beautifully. We had it alongside the 2020 Troncone and all three of us preferred the 2012.

Please check out this Rimessa Roscioli video of Riccardo talking about Montalcino and his Le Ragnaie vineyards. Towards the end, Riccardo explains why the Troncone is no longer labeled “Chianti Colli Senesi,” as it was in 2012.

Troncone pairs well with just about any meat dish or red sauce dish. I’ve had it recently with pizza, spaghetti bolognese, and costoletta alla milanese. While it has enough acidity to drink well on its own, I’d still look to snack on some taralli or cheese and crackers. Meanwhile, the Rosso pairs well with more complex and delicate preparations. Ideally, I’d look for a dish centered on rabbit, duck, eggplant, or veal. It’s more of a meal wine than an aperitivo wine.

Happy Tuesday,

Chris

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us: [email protected].  

How it works: 

After clicking one of the links above, you’ll be able to request 1-12 bottles. Actually, that’s all you have to do!

About a week later, when we close the offer, you’ll get an email confirming how many bottles we allocated to your account. We will charge you when the wines are allocated.

We’ll do our best to allocate all the bottles you request. When there are more requests than bottles available, we’ll allocate one bottle to all requesting members before allocating a second bottle to anyone. We want as many members as possible to try these wines.

This is the 14th of 18 offers during the fall season. Through the first week of November, we are sending offers on Thursday and Sunday, with the Open Tuesday re-up going out on Tuesdays.

We ship in increments of 12. With 18 offers this season, there should be plenty of chances to get to 12, 24, or 36. If you don’t have an increment of 12 at the end of the fall season offers, we can hold your wines until the next offer season – spring 2023.

Wines offered in the fall will ship in late November-early December for $5 per bottle (if you have an increment of 12.) This is about the same as the price to ship coast-to-coast within the U.S. – but our wines come directly from Italy.

Once your payment method is on file, you can make future requests with just a few clicks from the offer email. If you don’t have a card on file, you can add one during your first order. Your personal financial information is protected by Stripe.

Chris MacLean

Rob Genova

Open Tuesday Wines S.r.l.s.

Via Augusto Anfossi 19, 20135 Milano - Italy