Today is the beginning of the Chinese New Year and this is the year of the dragon. A magic year for this wine which changes completely.

New vintage, new blend of grapes, new name and new packaging for the Drago wine by Donatella Cinelli Colombini.

“Il Drago e le 8 colombe” in the flesh

The doves represent the women and consequently refer to the female cellar staff, a revolutionary work situation for Italy. With the arrival of the female consultant wine maker Valérie Lavigne the doves increase in number and the name of the wine changes: it used to be called “Il Drago e le Sette Colombe” and has become “Il Drago e le 8 Colombe”

Quite on the contrary the Drago emphasizes a male presence – nobody here wants to be discriminating – in the person of Carlo Gardini, Donatella’s husband who is a great wine lover
The arrival of Valérie Lavigne, sets of a serious thought about Italian grape varieties and the possibility of blending them to make high quality wines that are able to sell on foreign markets.
From here the desire to emphasize the Sagrantino grape, a variety greatly used in Umbria, which is just 20km away from Fattoria del Colle and belongs to the same geographical area. For the moment we are cultivating Sagrantino grapes in just a few rows, but soon it will be possible to harvest a whole new Vineyard.

Sangiovese – Brunello 2011? At Casato Prime Donne <<the grapes are better than last year>> says Valérie Lavigne the wine maker

Donatella, Violante, Valerie, Barbara

The forecast for our 2011 harvest are very good. The cellar master Barbara Magnani and the agronomist Folco Bencini are optimistic most of all about the resistance of the Sangiovese vineyards at Casato Prime Donne regardless of the great African heat at the end of the summer.
Valérie Lavigne’s opinion is even more positive << our Brunello grapes have really surprised me, they are even better than last year because the ripening has been more   homogeneous>>.
First day of harvest at Casato Prime Donne was September 15th, 10 days sooner than the traditional Brunello calendar.
At Fattoria del Colle Merlot, Foglia Tonda (which has demonstrated that it greatly suffers from droughts) and some of the Sangiovese for Chianti and Doc Orcia wines have already been picked. Apparently the Fattoria del Colle vines have suffered the heat and lack of rainfalls more than those at Casato Prime Donne. In fact the lager quantity of clay in the soil in Montalcino has been a decidedly favourable element this year.
The grape harvest is quicker because of the lower quantities of grapes. About 30% less than last year.

The grape harvest

The Consorzio del Brunello had diminished the production per hectare to 6 tonnes of grapes and probably the lower amount of clusters is also because of the pruning done at the beginning of July. The “green harvest” diminishing of the clusters has helped the vines a great deal to be able to withstand the great heat from the second half of August and September as did the difference in temperatures between night and day.
The lower yield also depends on the size of clusters which are smaller than usual, and the size of the single grapes is also smaller. However the clusters are beautiful, open and loose.
The most positive element is that the grapes are perfectly ripe; there is not one cluster anywhere with some mould.
the quality that will result depends a lot on the choice of the clusters. The clusters and parts of clusters that have dried grapes must be eliminated. Allowing them to go into the vats would mean that the sugar content of the must would go up and the wines produced would be too alcoholic. The removing of dried grapes takes automatically along a selection table that has a vibrating mechanism for this reason. The rest is removed manually by the two people constantly present at the table.
At this moment the analysis of our Sangiovese-Brunello show a potential alcohol of more than 13° vol, acidity around  7,30, an abundance in phenolic richness, which however will only partially be extractable. The grape seed are lignified, that means that they will not release green tannins.

So, to conclude we are expecting a good harvest, especially in Montalcino and in the older vineyards.
The 2011 vintage will probably have “Mediterranean” characteristic, so it will be very pleasant and round in the mouth and on the nose it twill be characterized by nuances of ripe fruit

We are very optimistic about the wine harvest. The clusters of grapes tend to be sparse with berries growing on small stalks. We feel confident to predict that we will be ahead of our timetabled harvest by almost 10 days

Green harvest of Foglia tonda vines

The rains in the second half of July have reduced the water stress that the vines were experiencing thus lengthening the time for the maturing of the fruit. The colour change of the grapes is even better than we anticipated and is more like the colours we would expect in vines which are planted in lower fields.
The grapes were definitely less abundant last year and we considered that to be quite a sparse crop. This year we have been able to remove any excess clusters, especially in vineyards where some of the new vines were too laden with grapes, they would have producted much more than the optimal production of 1.200 kg from every 4 bunches. This ‘green harvest’ was carried out at the Casato Prime Donne di Montalcino on the Sangiovese grapes which are intended for the Brunello and the Rosso di Montalcino and  at Fattoria del  Colle nel Sud del Chianti , in the vineyards of the Doc Orcia Cenerentola and the Leone Rosso.

We are very excited about the quality of these grapes and anticipate a 5 star harvest.
In Montalcino thinning the grapes allows us to control production to around 60 quintals of grapes per acre, which is a crop production which is determined by the official assembly of wine producers. This level of production relies entirely on the quality of the grapes which are being grown. We hope that the sun will shine the appropriate amount and help us to achieve our anticipated 5 star harvest.

Casato Prime Donne - green harvest

The next job for those of us who tenderly look after the grapes will be the cutting back of the leaves which can only  be performed when the sun is weaker and in the vineyards

Bonella showing us Sangiovese

which we pick last. This operation allows the grapes to dry quickly, in case of rain, and avoids them being attacked by mould. This is therefore a natural way to try and avoid any mould problems. We only ever use anti-mould products in the event of very severe weather conditions.
The harvest will begin with the Traminer grapes at the end of August,  in early September we plan to start on the Merlot and between 10th and 15th the Sangiovese will probably be ready for picking.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini

This is the fourth time that our Brunello wine has been awarded 94/100 from the prestigious American magazine the Wine Spectator. In its issue dated 31st August our 2006 Prime Donne wine is described as follows:- “there is richness and strength here, with an underlying hint of base minerals. I can detect black cherries and black currants. It is well balanced and demonstrates a good potential and refinement. It will be at it’s best between 2013 and 2027″. Bruce Sanderson has described this wine in a sensual way almost as if he is describing a desirable woman, which is particularly appropriate as this is exactly who the wine is dedicated to.

Brunello 2006 Prime Donne

I am particularly pleased to see that all of my Brunello wines this year have achieved good ratings and that this is a continuing trend. Both the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate have awarded them similar marks. 92,92,92 from the the Wine Advocate, and 94, 94, 93 from the Wine Spectator (marks awarded for the 2006 Brunello, Brunello Prime Donne Brunello 2006 and Riserva 2005).

This is not true for all the producers. In general, the larger wine producers did not received consistant votes for their produce and have a large range of differing votes awarded to their wines. Instead, our production and results are growing in a harmonious and homogeneous way.

The 2006 vintage is the first true harvest of my new vineyards in Montalcino. The vines which I planted in 2006 were four or five years old. Due to their age the Vines have still not yet achieved their full potential or produced their best quality grapes. Our winemakers, led by the Agronomist Folco Bencini, tend the vineyards with the same care and attention that they would dedicate to nurturing their own children. Last Friday 20 mm of rain fell in half an hour and we also noticed with dismay that a few hail stones fell. The following day everyone rushed to the vineyard and we only calmed down and stopped panicking when we realized that nothing was damaged, not even the leaves.

These young vines are our wealth and our future. If, in the coming winter, we have a dry month without rain, we are

Casato Prime Donne Winery in Montalcino

planning to plant 3 hectares acres of new vineyards on the hill overlooking the Casato Prime Donne house. When the new vineyard begins to produce grapes we will uproot the large vineyard the “Vignone” which was planted by my grandfather on the lowest part of our property. It is the only remaining original old vineyard left, all the others have been replanted. In a few years time we will be able to be truly competitive at all levels and then we will really start to have some fun!

Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The Rosso di Montalcino 2008 from Casato Prime Donne is perfect for welcoming the springtime  first relaxing moments outdoors

Rosso di Montalcino 2008 - Casato Prime Donne

After months of rain and cold we all wish to take off our winter clothes and spend a few hours outside with an excellent wine and a good book.
The Rosso di Montalcino 2008 from Casato Prime Donne has a great intensity of taste typical of those wine produced on the Brunello hilltop, and at the same time is extremely pleasant and drinkable.
The Rosso in fact stays only one year in barrel, which is actually less than half the length of the Brunello ageing, this makes it more easily understandable and more immediate in its pleasantness.
In Montalcino, 2008 was a 4 star harvest for many aspects apt for the production of wines for short ageing in barrel.
This is the first Rosso di Montalcino by Valérie Lavigne, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s new winemaker.
An important touch comes from Barbara Magnani the cellar master, whose importance and authoritativeness have grown.
Casato Prime Donne is the first winery in Italy with an all female staff. Here the presence of tonneaux and barrels of various dimensions and of oak of various origins, in climatized rooms at around 18°C, enables us to choose the best container for each vintage and for every phase of the ageing of the wines.
2008 had a dry winter, the spring was very rainy with violent rainfalls, and the summer was very hot with little difference between the minimum and maximum values of temperatures. The temperatures did decrease rapidly half way through September.
The Sangiovese harvest (the same grapes as for Brunello) took place from September 16th to October 20th. The grapes were hand picked and reached the winery in 20Kg crates. To begin with dry ice was used to cool the grapes; mid September on the other hand we had to turn on the heating system for the vats so as to facilitate the beginning of the fermentation. Vinification: in stainless steel temperature controlled vats for 16/18 days. The peculiarity of this fermentation was that it was quick to begin and very hot, which Barbara Magnani curbed using the cooling system.
Quantity produced: 23.000 bottles. Colour: very intense ruby red. Aroma: complex, intense, with fragrant elements and clear notes of wood berries and spices. Taste:  intense, full, persistent, the evident richness in tannins is well balanced by the alcohol Analysis: alcohol 13,5 %Vol.; Tot. Ac. 5 g/l; Vol. Ac. 0.53 mg/l; Extract 28 g/l; SO²   Tot 102 mg/l. Matching dishes: noble meats, aged cheeses, dishes with little fat but rich in flavour. Way of serving: Room temperature (18-20°C), use tulip shaped crystal wine goblets. Home ageing: 7/8 years after the harvest. Keep the bottles lying down in a cool and dark place.