96pts Wine Enthusiast

The nose begins savory and earthy before sweet cherries and bitter espresso start to sparkle. The palate is full of black cherries and figs, with a bolder coffee flavor reappearing on the finish. The tannins are chalky and dense, while marvelously intense acidity persists through the finish.

93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The Podere le Ripi 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Cielo d'Ulisse shows a spicy character with clove and white pepper. Those notes are faint, but they do help to uphold dark layers of dried cherry and blackcurrant. There is a point of sour fruit on the close of this mid-weight Brunello. The wine's structure is lean and fine. Exactly 15,466 bottles were made.

92pts Vinous

The Brunello di Montalcino Cielo d'Ulisse 2018 wafts up from the glass with a perfumed mix of violets and roses complementing dried blueberries and hints of smoke. It's silky and cool-toned in feel, with racy acidity guiding its tart wild berry fruit. Blue and purple-tonned inner florals linger, along with licorice and chalky tannins, as the 2018 finshes lightly structured and long. Podere Le Ripi did a great job of maintaining balance and energy here. Cielo d'Ulisse hails from the Podere Le Ripi vineyards in the southwest of Montalcino, yet the vines are surrounded by woods that help to balance the warmth of the location.

Tasting Notes

Deep dark with lighter shadows, flavors are quite complex and the progression of different fragrances is endless, beginning with smaller black and red fruits, all surrounded by a hidden scent of blackberries and brackish water. Our vineyards on the western slopes are surrounded by a fresh forest and very close to the Ombrone river. This means that they can handle well warmer seasons, like 2018. This is why the wine was able to maintain a nice dynamic taste, light without it being too sweet. The structure and texture of it are making us hope for great aging potential.

Winemaker Notes

The vineyard on the western side of the Montalcino hills is so secluded that you can enjoy the starry sky to the full without being disturbed. It is therefore not surprising that this supple, very classic Brunello bears the name "Sky of Ulysses". As is well known, Odysseus had the ability to navigate the seas without a compass and by simply orientating himself by the stars.

Blend: 100% Sangiovese

Organic 

Biodynamic