Leone Rosso 2021 Organic Orcia Doc
Leone Rosso 2021 Doc Orcia was born in a harvest of excellent quality, 5 stars, but scarce quantity due to a serious frost at the beginning of April...
Leone Rosso 2021 Doc Orcia was born in a harvest of excellent quality, 5 stars, but scarce quantity due to a serious frost at the beginning of April...
This harvest has two surprising characteristics: on the day of harvest the vines were still in vegetation, an unusual circumstance that also occurred in 2010. As in that magical year, the grapes fro Brunello 2019 were excellent and abundant. An increasingly frequent characteristic with the new climate in which the vines find balance with a higher number of bunches than in the past, but we maintain a production per hectare of 60 quintals.
The 2019 Organic Brunello di Montalcino from Casato Prime Donne celebrates the effects of the new climate which has especially rewarded the cooler areas of Brunello. The northern area of the Montalcino hill, where Casato Prime Donne is located, has always been considered the humid and less sunny side. A circumstance that was once a misfortune and is now however a fortune because, together with the richness of clay that makes the soil cold, it allows a gradual maturation of the grapes even in the current hot summers.
Brunello di Montalcino 2019 e Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne 2019
Brunello and Brunello Prime Donne are born in the first Italian winery with an entirely female workforce. Brunello Prime Donne, however, is the first long-aging red created for female consumers. Every year 4 super experts taste all of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello and choose the barrels or tonneaux in which to mature it as well as the final blend. They are the Masters of Wine, Rosemary George and Madeleine Stenwreth, the wine shop owner Astrid Schwarz and the Sommelier Daniela Scrobogna. Therefore, based on their decisions, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s winemakers create Brunello Prime Donne which is generally the most structured and is produced only in the best harvests.
A proposal that includes a wine from each of Donatella’s farms: 6 bottles of Sanchimento and 6 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino at your home for €219.00
The Sanchimento 2023 from Fattoria del Colle is a real treat for lovers of Donatella Cinelli Colombini wines. It is partly produced in amphora as was done in antiquity. This is a very small series of only 1200 bottles. The Rosso di Montalcino by Casato Prime Donne, on the other hand, is a wine already known and appreciated by international wine critics. This offer proposes something new to discover, and a confirmation!!
Two wines to drink now, without having to wait. Two fresh wines with an extraordinary aromatic richness.
Sanchimento comes from organic Traminer grapes and, in the cellar, is produced according to organic protocols. The particular production process of this wine is the result of the creativity of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s three oenologists, who in three years of experimentation have developed a method capable of enhancing the characteristics of the vine, increasing the complexity of the wine and giving it distinctive characteristics.
Upon their arrival in the cellar, the grapes are cooled in small baskets then a quarter of them are fermented in terracotta amphorae from Impruneta with the orange system, i.e. with the skins and without the addition of yeasts. The wine remains closed in the jar almost until bottling when it is combined with Sanchimento produced with the traditional method.
James Suckling, as always, is the first of the great international critics to publish his judgments on Brunello, and he rewards those by Donatella with 93 and 94 points
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
James-Suckling-with-ErikaRibaldi-DonatellaCinelliColombini
He was born in Los Angeles in 1959 and lives between his home in Borro (Arezzo) and Hong King but is also an honorary citizen of Montalcino.
After his studies in political science and journalism at the Universities of Wisconsin and Utah he began to write and from 1981 for the new born magazine Wine Spectator. In 1984, he followed his passion for wine by making his first trip to Europe and the following year he became the European correspondent of the Wine Spectator, a role he held until 2010.
Subsequently his activity as a taster continued with an online magazine that bears his name and that organizes splendid events all over the world. He was among the first to understand the potential of digital communication and is on the podium as one of the strongest wine influencers in the world.
Suckling is internationally regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and influential critics for wine and vintage cigars. His sophisticated style is known in life as in tastings. For example, Suckling has always tasted only with his glasses and now uses a line of crystal goblets created especially for him.
2018 crowns the talent of Tuscan winemakers. A vintage that is very reminiscent of those of our grandparents and has given us a modern, elegant and richly scented Brunello
2018-grape-harvest-in-Montalcino-sangiovese-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
After a very dry 2017, the first half of 2018 was very rainy and replenished the soil’s water reserves. A positive element for nature but also a challenge for those who cultivate the vineyards. 16 rainy days in January, 16 in February, 20 in March, 11 in April and 18 in May. In June the Sangiovese vines for Brunello had few bunches and a lot of grass also because we grow organically and therefore without herbicides.
An English summer, with an umbrella always at hand and, at the end of August an Arctic disturbance that whitened the Alps and stiffened the skin of the grapes in our vineyards. September had sunny days and almost winter nights. An anomalous climatic situation that has greatly helped the vineyards. The grapes became smaller and as they matured they softened and an amazing synthesis of aromas took place.
The aromatic richness is the characterizing element of the 2018 vintage.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents Rosso di Montalcino 2021 born in an amazing vintage. Never before 4 super vintages one after another in Montalcino
harvest-2021-Sangiovese-Casato-Prime-Donne-Montalcino-Violante-Cinelli-Colombini
Montalcino’s series of extraordinary harvests does not seem to want to stop: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Never before has the land of Brunello lined up such a dazzling sequence.
Each vintage with different characteristics to create the desire and curiosity to taste them all. Rosso di Montalcino offers this opportunity rather quickly and here is the 2021, vigorous and velvety after six months spent in cask.
The young appellation of Montalcino is experiencing a period of particular success. A growing market demand that has literally emptied the cellars, monographic tastings by Sommeliers and journalists, an event that highlights “RED Montalcino” and a number of articles never seen before. In short, it is a trendy wine that young wine lovers like for its drinkability and pleasant and understandable style.
The dream of producing great wines comes true. Donatella Cinelli Colombini tells of the difficult beginning and the slow creation of a brand with a strong identity
2002 Casato-Prime -Donne-Montalcino-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-in-the-cellar
20 hectares of old vineyard and 5 hectares of new planting on an excavation that unfortunately will have many problems and a short life.
There are no cellars and the wine is held part at the Fattoria dei Barbi and part of it in spaces rented from producer friends.
The production of wine begins with a “dowry” of the future Brunello 1993, 94, 95, 96 and 97
The “Donatella Cinelli Colombini” brand is created, along with the logo and labels of the first wines. The Prime Donne project is born with the winery managed by a female staff, the Brunello selected by a group of female tasters and the Casato Prime Donne award dedicated to the new female role in society and work.
In 2001 the winery of the Fattoria del Colle was inaugurated
In 2002 the Casato Prime Donne winery was inaugurated
Planting of the new vineyards begins: Cenerentola and Pieve at Fattoria del Colle, Ardita and Pero at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino
Experimentation of the native Foglia Tonda vine starting from 400 grafts from the vitarium of the Regione Toscana
The vines are cultivated in a conventional way, in the cellar there are barrels and barriques. The oenologists are initially Luigino Casagrande and then Fabrizio Ciufoli.
A category invented by the young sommelier Vincenzo Donatiello in 2018 which includes wines for the swimming pool: fresh, immediate and pleasant but never trivial
Poolwines-vini-da-piscina-Spumante-Rosè-Metodo-Classico-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
by Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Wine experts snub them by branding them as thirst quenchers without real quality but actually they exist all over the world. The French call them vins de soif that is wines for thirst, in English they take the name of poolwine which corresponds to the swimming pool wines proposed by the Lucanian sommelier Vincenzo Donatiello.
It was this thirty-year-old professional who proposed them for the first time in Italy in 2018. Vincenzo was the maître of the Piazza Duomo restaurant in Alba until February 2022, with the starred chef Enrico Crippa.
In Montalcino, for the first time, there have been 3 extraordinary harvests 2019, 2020 and 2021 one after the other. The one in the middle is extraordinary for its bouquet and full taste
Rosso-di-Montalcino-2020-Casato-Prime-Donne-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
Never before has there been such a favorable sequence. A great gift for winemakers but also a great challenge because the three vintages had very different characteristics and therefore had to be interpreted in a different way.
2020 started badly with a small frost during the bud (18-23 March) which reduced the quantity of grapes. The winter was mild and arid. The rain came in June in a very abundant way, throughout the month. The heat began in mid-July and lasted until September with almost no rain but with a strong difference in temperature between night and day. At the time of harvest, the grapes were very small, perfectly ripe and with totally lignified seeds. They gave rise to colourful and fragrant musts with the typical crunchiness of the great Sangiovese vintages.
Rosso di Montalcino 2020 comes from the same ORGANIC vineyards as Brunello. The winemakers at Casato Prime Donne, just before the harvest, divide the vineyards into small plots, by tasting the grapes. Those to be used for the Rosso di Montalcino must have a good component of polyphenols and potential alcohol but lower than those that will produce the wine destined for long aging. Rosso di Montalcino must in fact give satisfaction to those who drink it in the first years of life.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents her Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, for the first time in organic version
2019 the harvest of the super Sangiovese, the year in which the bunches and berries of the king of Tuscany grape variety looked like Cabernet, the king of the Bordeaux vineyard.A dream of a harvest, with abundant, perfect grapes that were harvested by hand and then vinified in small vats where the must quickly took on a very intense colour.
Sangiovese 2019 grape harvest after 4 days
The bunches of Sagrantino and Merlot, which also make up the blend of Il Drago e le 8 Colombe were also of the highest quality. Each grape variety was vinified separately but, to make the most of the richness of the 2019 grapes, all made a very long post fermentation maceration. For this reason the racking was postponed for a week – ten days for all types: Sangiovese, Merlot and Sagrantino.
There was also a small variation in the aging in cask compared to usual. When the wine was ready to be moved from the vats to the barrels, the Covid epidemic caused the first lockdown, forcing the cellar work to be slowed down. Too bad because precisely because of the superior quality of the vintage, the quantity of barrels purchased was greater than usual.
The cellars belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle, in Trequanda, where this wine is born, are the first in Italy with an entirely female staff. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is dedicated to the only male present: Carlo Gardini, husband to Donatella and creator of small, highly awarded series of Passito and Vin Santo. He is the dragon mentioned in the name of the wine and surrounded by 8 doves: the consultant Valérie Lavigne, the oenologists Barbara, Sabrina, Giada and the cellar staff, the incoming and sales staff. An oenological gynoecium that is constantly growing in number.
Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is an “author’s wine” and does not belong to any denomination. This category arises from the need to express the creativity of wine makers without subjecting them to the rules of the Doc-Docg regulations. The name Supertuscan highlights the qualitative ambitions of the wines of this type which enjoy a great international prestige. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe contains three different grape varieties: Sangiovese, which gives the wine its elegance, Merlot (20%) which adds pleasantness and Sagrantino (20%) which increases the structure. All the grapes are grown, vinified, aged in cask, bottled and refined at Fattoria del Colle in compliance with the BIO (organic) rules.
Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator tasting director explains the 2017 harvest and rewards Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunellos with two 93/100
2017-Harvest-in-Montalcino-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
It is wonderful to see your wines in the Wine Spectator Insider. A weekly preview of Wine Spectator that reaches wine lovers and collectors from all over the world. It is like seeing your jewel in the Cartier window on Place Vendome in Paris, that is, in the city of fashion and in the most visible spot for the most glamorous millionaires.
There are two 2017 Brunellos made by Donatella Cinelli Colombini in the Wine Spectator Insider and both with 93/100. Excellent result that our USA Importer immediately relaunched on social networks.
Bruce Sanderson’s description of the 2017 harvest is masterful in terms of synthesis and effectiveness << The winter was mild and rainy until March, when temperatures increased, leading to an early bud break. In mid-April, a frost occurred which caused some damage. However, the biggest impact was the drought from May to August, with high temperatures in July and August…. The rain in mid-September refreshed the vines and revived the grapes>>.
First certified BIO organic vintage of Doc Orcia Cenerentola for a year of giant stature. An intense, complex, velvety and impressive wine like a thick silk velvet, which reveals a superior consistency to the touch
Toscana-Orcia-Doc-Cenerentola-2018-Fattoria-del-Colle-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
A surprising result in a surprising year that asked the winemakers for all their commitment. In spring they also worked on Sundays to keep the grapes healthy from the attacks of downy mildew triggered by the alternation between rain and very hot days. Even the flowering was disturbed by the perturbations causing the reduction in the size and number of the clusters.
The number of rainy days in 2018 is impressive: 16 in January, 16 in February, 20 in March, 11 in April and 18 in May. The amount of rain was also impressive. At the end of May, the Fattoria del Colle was also hit by a “water bomb” which flooded the historic cellar where the barrels are located. After mid-August, an icy perturbation arrived that whitened the mountains and stiffened the cells of the grape skins.
Meteorologists had predicted a sunny September but after a summer with an umbrella no one believed them.
Grape-Harvest-2018-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini
Instead the sun came, giving a helping hand to the harvest. The vines were de-leafed in the “old way” and the calibre of the berries returned to normal and the accumulation of sugar gradually increased.
In Donatella Cinelli Colombini‘s vineyards we bet on the sun and decided to do a harvest like our “grandparents, as was the custom 50 years ago. We picked the least promising grapes first, leaving the best in the sun as long as possible. A heart-pounding situation because of the adverse weather forecasts which, fortunately, turned out to be wrong. The harvest proceeded in the sun. The rain came the day after the harvest ended. The quality of Cinderella 2018 is in our winemaker courage.
Robert Parket-Wine Advocate rewards the new Brunello’s by Donatella Cinelli Colombini with excellent ratings and also the Rosso di Montalcino with 90/100
Brunello-Prime-Donne-2017-Robert-Parker- 94/100
It is always a great pleasure to receive positive reviews regarding one’s wines and when there are many it is truly a feast. Wineries generally notice that a good rating has been published thanks to the arrival of orders. In this case, Violante Cinelli Colombini, sales manager, received a substantial booking from Canada and shortly after another from the USA, “a good score must have come out”, she said with a smile. Shortly after she read the good news on the Wine Advocate-Robert Parker website: 95+ for Brunello Riserva 2016. 94/100 for Brunello 2017 “Prime Donne”. 93/100 for Brunello 2017 and a nice 90/100 at Rosso di Montalcino 2019. This latter is perhaps the most spectacular result because it concerns a wine that is not part of the Montalcino oenological Olympus but rather part of the younger and less expensive ranks.
All these wines come from Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s cellar in Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne which has been certified BIO since 2018.
Brunello-2017-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-93/100-Robert-Parker
Let’s see one by one the reviews and descriptions written by the talented Monica Larner, editor for Italian wines of Wine Advocate – Robert Parker and an excellent journalist with an exploratory nature.
Silky and refined, it also shows the power and intensity that characterize the climate of this classic vintage. The tannins of the wine, the freshness, the flavour of the fruit, rich and harmonious, ensure that no element dominates the other. There is a crunchiness or a tension on the finish that underlines the quality of the Sangiovese of this vintage.
2018 vintage with the best wines produced at Fattoria del Colle in Tuscany: Cenerentola Doc Orcia, Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, Spumante Brut Rosè Metodo Classico
Tuscan-wines-March-Offer-Supertuscan-Spumante-Rosè-Brut-Cenerentola-Doc-Orcia
For Easter lunch and to celebrate spring and moments of conviviality with friends, two red wines and even some bubbles!
A unique opportunity for friends of Donatella’s Club. Comparing three versions of the 2018 vintage from Fattoria del Colle including the exclusive preview of the Cenerentola Orcia DOC 2018:
– 2 bottles of Cenerentola Orcia Doc 2018 ORGANIC in preview
– 2 bottles of Supertuscan – IGT Toscana, Il Drago 2018, the last bottles
– 2 bottles of Classic Method Sparkling Wine 2018
– 1 volume “Toscana, terra di vini – Tuscany, land of wines” of the Regione Toscana with explanations on the Tuscan Denominations, and the vines used in our region.
2 of the wines in this selection see the addition of other varieties to Sangiovese, varieties that bring structure and power.
Sangiovese at Fattoria del Colle grows in an area of 17 hectares with southwest exposure, with calcareous-clayey soils particularly rich in mineral micronutrients: ideal conditions to give the wines great polyphenolic content, depth and evolutionary potential.
2018-vintage-Tuscan-wines-March-Offer-Supertuscan-Spumante-Rosè-Brut-Cenerentola-Doc-Orcia
For those who do not already know the Fattoria del Colle, it has at its centre a sixteenth-century villa in an ancient hamlet transformed to accommodate tourists in rooms, apartments and villas, with three swimming pools, a restaurant, a banquet and conference room, the area for natural well-being, and the cooking school.
In the splendid cellar for Chianti Superiore, Supertuscan and Doc Orcia wines, a new room is dedicated to the Sangiovese vines, which is told through a video showing the vineyards in the 4 seasons and at 4 different times of the day.
A new and exciting project for those who love wine for long ageing and dream of having their corner in a prestigious winery in Montalcino
Realizing this dream as a wine lover and creating a community of new friends around it becomes possible with “Affina in cantina” – a project created and implemented by Vigneron.wine.
It is possible to buy the bottles now and leave them to refine in the Casato Prime Donne cellar in Montalcino, where there are ideal conditions of temperature, humidity and darkness.
Refine-your-wine-in-the-cellar-at-Casato-Prime-Donne-in-Montalcino-a-project-for-great-wine-lovers
An experience for true enthusiasts that allows, even those who do not have an ideal place to cellar wine at home, to buy and store important bottles to drink, perhaps in a few years time, on an important day.
Those who buy will receive a certificate and their bottles will have a unique identification code so that they cannot be replaced and are always kept in a special space in the cellar. After 3-6 years, when the wine has reached the TOP quality, the wine lover will be able to collect them without other additional costs for their conservation even if the value of the wine will certainly have increased.
Refine-your-wine-in-the-cellar-at-Casato-Prime-Donne-in-Montalcino-a-project-for-great-wine-lovers
Delivery will take place at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino or by requesting the shipment to your home (to be paid separately) even one bottle at a time.
There is also the Generali Italia insurance taken out by Vigneron.wine for the aging bottles in the event of breakage or damage. It covers 100% of their purchase value and half of the increase accrued over time.
On Vigneron.wine it is possible to consult the Wine Observatory which traces the increase in the value of wine over time. In addition, every friend, owner of bottles being aged at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino, has a reserved section “My Cellar” to manage the collection of his bottles.
On our part, we promise to take the utmost care of the bottles purchased by passionate friends with the “Affina in Cantina” project. They can come and see them and ask us for photos to check them out every now and then.