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LEONE ROSSO BIO 2020 DOC ORCIA

A great harvest, 2020 will be remembered for the masks and the COVID. This vintage has given us a Leone Rosso Doc Orcia BIO rich in aromas, structure and pleasantness

 

A RED LION SYMBOL OF THE ANCESTORS WHO FOUNDED THE FARM IN 1592

The Leone Rosso wine is dedicated to the ancestors of Donatella Cinelli Colombini who built Fattoria del Colle in 1592 and had a rampant lion on their coat of arms. The grapes for the Leone Rosso Doc Orcia are born right in the vineyards of the farm.

We are talking about the Socini or Sozzini family made up of jurists and philosophers. Two of them – Lelio (1525-1562) and Fausto (1539-1604) – have gone down in history for having held an important role among the European free thinkers who gave birth to Protestantism. It was precisely their opposition to the Church that led the family to ruin and the Colle farm to be confiscated. The property was repurchased by Donatella’s great-grandfather, the engineer Livio Socini around 1919.

94 Wine Spectator Insider for Brunello Prime Donne 2018

Brunello Prime Donne 2018 by Donatella Cinelli Colombini in the Wine Spectator Insider, the showcase that presents  previews of the best wines

 

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The Insider arrives online to subscribers of the leading wine magazine, the Wine Spectator, published in New York and available worldwide. It contains, in preview, a small number of excellent and exemplary reviews. Being in the insider is an extremely important opportunity because  wine lovers all over the world open it and look at it more carefully than they do the large lists of reviews that appear every month in the magazine.

A few days before Vinitaly the Brunello di Montalcino selection Prime Donne 2018 was in the Insider with a score of 94/100 and a beautiful description written by Bruce Sanderson Senior Editor and Tasting Director of the Wine Spectator and great expert of Tuscan wine and specifically of the Montalcino territory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BRUCE SANDERSON FROM THE WINE SPECTATOR AND BRUNELLO 2018

Bruce Sanderson’s presentation of the 2018 vintage is masterful << Following the robust 2017s from Montalcino, with their dark fruit flavours and dense tannins, the 2018 releases of Brunello di Montalcino are a breath of fresh air. These new wines exude red fruit flavours like strawberry, cherry and currant, with plenty of floral notes such as rose hip and hibiscus>>.

According to Sanderson, 2018 is a decidedly classic vintage that recalls the best of the late twentieth century. I think the same and I find it beautiful how the US critic thinks of wine as an interpretation of nature that changes every year and which every producer reads with his own  sensitivity. It makes one think of the work of the conductor who respects the composer’s score but adds his own interpretation to it and therefore updates it.

Chianti Superiore DOCG 2020 BIO

HOW LONG DOES AN OPENED BOTTLE LAST?

It depends on the wine and on the way in which the bottle is treated, sucking out the air or by introducing an inert gas. The great red wines better than the whites

 

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Nowadays no one consumes a bottle in a single meal. In compliance with health standards (half a bottle a day in two meals for men and even less for women) it is difficult for even two to finish the bottle before getting up from the table. For this it is necessary to keep the wine in an optimal way until the next time of consumption. But how long can it be kept?

 

WHAT DOES THE DURATION OF THE WINE IN AN OPEN BOTTLE DEPEND ON?

To answer this question, I follow the trail of wein.plus inviting the most passionate wine lovers  to read the entire article that I summarize here. There are components in wine that make it durable: extracts, alcohol and acids. The extracts are the noble parts of the wine skin which dissolve during fermentation and pass into the wine. Obviously their presence in the wine varies according to the grape variety and the terroir, but there is a direct correlation between ripening, the calibre of the grapes and the climate. If the grapes are perfectly ripe, the rains have not increased the size of the grape berries and there have not been strong perturbations which, causing temperatures to drop, have stiffened the skins … then we will have musts and wines rich in colour and extracts. Once upon a time this rarely happened today it is almost normal, at least here in Montalcino and in the Doc Orcia areas.

OFFER: ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2021 FROM CASATO PRIME DONNE

For club members, a wine suitable for aperitifs, for lunches based on tasty Tuscan dishes but also for a  pizza with mushrooms, or between meals with Tuscan pecorino and semi-seasoned fontina cheese.

 

A WINE THAT SETS A TREND

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents you the Rosso di Montalcino 2021 born in an amazing year and which is also appreciated by young Wine Lovers for its drinkability and pleasant and understandable style. A growing market demand has led to the creation of an event that highlights it: “RED Montalcino” which will be held every year in June. An event that aims to give a distinctive personality to a wine that until a few years ago was considered a “second choice”. In reality, the new consumer trends favour wines with more of a local, vine and vintage imprint, that is, elements that are less easy to find in denominations that have spent more than two years in barrels and aim for majestic longevity.

 

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

Casato Prime Donne is a 40-hectare property on the north side of Montalcino. It belonged to the ancestors of the current owner Donatella Cinelli Colombini, already at the end of the sixteenth century. It was once used for hunting and for honeymoons, today it is dedicated to wine and is made up of 17 hectares of vineyards, all  Sangiovese variety.  At the centre is the cellar which is the first in Italy with a staff of only women. Even the Rosso di Montalcino label emphasizes the family nature of this property with the three doves symbolizing Donatella, her husband Carlo and their daughter Violante.

OFFER: 3 ORGANIC AND PREMIUM WINES TO HAVE FUN AT THE TABLE

For the more demanding wine lovers, a mix of 3 “highly rated family wines” from Tuscany for exciting combinations with local but also non-local dishes

RECEIVE THE IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE 2019, THE CENERENTOLA ORCIA DOC 2018 AND THE BRUNELLO 2018 DIRECTLY AT HOME WITH THREE RECIPES TO PREPARE AND A WINE-SAVING PUMP

 

 

This offer is for those who love moments of relaxation at home,  for those who like to experiment with dishes from all over the world, even mixing them in the same dinner. Two of the wines also contain unusual varietals to pique your curiosity. Cenerentola contains Foglia Tonda, an ancient vine of southern Sienese origin brought back into use about twenty years ago. Then Sagrantino and Merlot are used  in Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, a truly exceptional mix!

If the bottle is not finished, the included wine saver pump allows you to try the combination with another dish the following day.

Il Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT 2019 is very versatile and multi-ethnic, it goes well with classic Tuscan foods such as Florentine steak or aged pecorino but also Indian or Chinese dishes with an intense flavour

The Cenerentola Orcia DOC 2018 goes perfectly with the Peposo dei Fornaciai

The Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018, on the other hand, goes very well with savoury dishes

 

THREE RECIPES AS A GIFT

In the carton with the wines you will find cards with three recipes:  Picchio Pacchio with Il Drago and le 8 Colombe for a Tuscan brunch, Peposo dei Fornaciai, to be paired with Cenerentola and Brasato al Brunello to be served with … Brunello of course. The recipes are easy, historic, and made with ingredients found everywhere. Even those who aren’t great cooks can make them flawlessly!

JAMES SUCKLING’S REVIEWS ON THESE SMALL SERIES WINES

Brunello di Montalcino 2018            93/100

Cenerentola 2018                               92/100

Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2019           92/100