‘Little Pink Riding Hood’ is not what you would necessarily define as an ‘easy’ rosè — it really wants to be a short skin-contact red, wherein the Sangiovese grapes are picked early to enhance their energy and savoriness and are left to macerate on the skins just for one night after pressing. Grapes are biodynamically farmed and come from a vineyard dedicated solely to this wine; the wine spends 11 months between steel and cement, during which the Le Ripi teams wishes disturb the wine as little as possible, avoiding unnecessary rackings and limiting interference. Once they determine that the wine is ready, all that remains is to wait for the right lunar phase and bottle it with one final, minimal addition of sulfites. Think of ‘Cappuccetto Rosa’ as Sangio stripped down: zesty with the scents of spring in full bloom, swirling with pools of tart red berries, red currants, and rhubarb, Tuscan herbs, and mellow balsamic, held taut by sunbeam-like, zippy acidity. A rosato made for food — be it on a picnic blanket or by the grill — keep her chilled but not too cold.
Since the beginning, Francesco Illy’s goal was to preserve the plant diversity of this pristine soil, which is why he decided in 2010 to finally switch to biodynamic viticulture. Francesco explains: "Production according to biodynamic cultivation methods allows us to work in a particularly environmentally friendly way and, moreover, to offer a product that is the true result of our terroir and the current climate process.” Sangiovese is not an easy variety; it does not adapt well to rigid protocols, so respect for the territory and the use of a non-interventionist cultivation method are therefore the company's credo even today. All the wines undergo a slow and delicate accompaniment in the cellar, where large vats and barrels of fine wood are used both for fermentation and for refinement, and then end with a harmonization in cement; this entire process has the objective of enhancing the classic nature of Sangiovese in Montalcino and the different facets of the vineyards. Deep roots, vines in full dialogue with their surroundings, and the right patience during aging are the fundamental requirements to allow nature to express itself fully, and the team strives is to just accompany the process, not to dominate or manipulate it. They may take a few more risks — sometimes things don’t go as planned — but more often than not, they turn out far better than they could have orchestrated.