Vines and wines

Vienna the imperial capital that loves music and Brunello

The Parliament is as large as three football pitches, ice rinks full of children, horse and carts, waltzes  …and red wines to be matched with meat, like Brunello

Brunello in Vienna with Carlo Gardini

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Vienna is a place that surprises, the enormous buildings, the attention for every detail. This is the capital of Francesco Giuseppe and Strauss. The building where the ex Ministry of war was has a double-headed eagle  that weighs 40 tons in front of it, but in the city centre there is a school that teaches horses how to trot elegantly, and in the taxis, in the lifts and even in the restrooms you listen to Chopin, cake shops resemble jewellers. In other words power and elegance together. His was an imperial capital where nearly all men wore uniforms but also all danced perfectly a waltz and a mazurka. Today it is a well organized, clean, city, proud of its past and optimistic regarding its future. Wow!

In Austria where there are 52.000 places to eat, a quarter of them are cafes where clients spend hours sitting and socializing. The Vienna cafes are the nicest in the world.

Which barrels are best for Brunello?

A story that tell of tastings, errors and successes whilst looking for the perfect barrel for the Brunello made at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino

Montalcino Casato Prime Donne barrel ageing cellar

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Our grandparents used barrels that contained 10-15 hl sometimes even made of chestnut , then the larger barrels arrived, and later still the barriques, and now we have gone back to the small barrels.

I’m going to tell you about our search for the perfect barrel for the Sangiovese for Brunello and specifically for the first year of ageing in wood, when the wines evolution is quick and decisive for its long long life to come . In the second and mostly I the third year of ageing in fact we have always used the traditional large barrels 15 hl and then 40 hl, that softly accompany the Brunello towards the bottle.

We stated by looking for  barriques. This was in 2001 and shortly barriques were a must for all producers who did not want to seem thrifty or old fashioned. We tried 7 brands, among which an Italian and an Austrian one. Now they are outside embellishing gardens

Brunello Prime Donne 2010: a dream come true

Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents her Brunello 2010 Prime Donne. It is produced only in exceptional years such as 2010: the best vintage  in the last 100 years

Brunello 2010 Prime Donne Cinellicolombini

As all great red wines produced the world over Brunello is gratifying when young and when it is older. This characteristic is evident in the 2010 vintage more than any previous harvest.

Montalcino is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to produce a great wine with just one varietal, the Sangiovese. This is a magical rapport between nature, microclimate and the grape-growers that brings differing results every year and sometimes reaches perfection and that is what happened in 2010.

In 2010 the winter and the spring hydrated the soil in depth with rain and snow. For this reason the high temperatures in July did not create any problems for the vines that actually reached harvest time with the frond were still in Extremely rare situation but very favourable. In 2010 the grape clusters were small, sound, and with small grapes with lignified seeds

The Brunello Prime Donne is produced only in the best vintages. It is the estate flagship and represents its commitment in favour of equal opportunities for women in the wine world. It in fact is made in a winery staffed only by women and is selected by a group of  four expert  female tasters who decide in which barrels it is to be aged and the final assembling. These are the English Master of Wine Maureen Ashley, the Italo-American Pr Marina Thompson, the German wine store owner Astrid Schwarz and one of the best Italian sommeliers Daniela Scrobogna.

What are wine buyers looking for? Brunello!

The 2015 wish list for the International wine market includes  Brunello 2010 and Bordeaux en primeur

Wine

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Wine Searcher, the largest  commercial wine showroom with bottles from 38,000 international stores, has interviewed some large fans of the wine market to find out which bottles they are hoping to get in the new year . Obviously the “en primeur” from Bordeaux hold a privileged position. These sales will take place in april and should re-launch this appellation , after the renewed interest shown by consumers in these bottles.

Zachys auction

But Brunello is also in the dreams of the great worldwide buyers such as Zachys. Its vice president Andrew McMurray actually says<<it is one of the best young Brunello  I have ever tasted and I am expecting the critics’ indications before choosing which to buy>>. He is not alone in waiting for the now mythical 2010 vintage from Montalcino: Joss Fowler from Fine & Rare  in London says<< the demand for the best Italian wines is always great and increasing, in particularly for Brunello>>.
There are several trends going on:  the  dispute between global and local, so among producers who stand out with excellent wines, but very particular, and the globalization of the market that ends up making everyone drink the same things.

Acute sounds and sweet flavours, deep sounds and bitter flavours

  Studies at the University of Oxford certify what we all suspected: sounds change the perception of taste. A lot, they are telling us that it’s something like 5-10% [caption id="attachment_9961" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Prof Spence"][/caption] by Donatella Cinelli Colombini Charles Spence, professor in experimental psychology at the Oxford University, in a recent interview on British radio, explained the effects of sounds on ones perception of tastes. We all suspected that Brunello  seemed nicer if tasted while listening to Bach ….but now there is some scientific evidence. << Taste is probably the most multisensory of experiences>> said Spence << all the senses are used at simultaneously>>. Sounds,...

Brunello di Montalcino 2010 here comes the vintage of the century

Finally is about to arrive the Brunello di Montalcino 2010, the perfect harvest. It holds in itself two characteristics of the Sangiovese wine of Montalcino: the refinement and the longevity

Brunello di Montalcino 2010 DonatellaCinelliColombini

Donatella Cinelli Colombini is pleased to present a masterpiece in the bottle from the Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino. A wine that has just come out of the cellar and already hides a powerful structure in an incredibly elegant, enjoyable and deep harmony. In thirty or fifty years it will be a masterpiece of refinement. 

This magic of nature grows only in Montalcino and only if the climate is favourable.
Only few territories in the world are capable of producing a great wine with only one grape variety like Burgundy with its Pinot noir. Montalcino is one of them. Sangiovese grapes find here the perfect soil and climate to ripen slowly and completely.
What’s special about the 2010 vintage? Winter and spring with a lot of rain. A very hot July. The ripening was slow and steady so that the technological ripeness (juice) went hand in hand with the polyphenolic one (skin). The grape bunches that were arriving in the cellar were perfect, the dream of every winemaker.

Brunello di Montalcino 2010 DonatellaCinelliColombini

Type: dry red denomination Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Production area: Tuscany, Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne
Climate: Winter and spring extremely full of snow and rainfalls that deeply hydrated the soil. Thanks to this stock of water vines withstood well a very hot July, and in August the grape colouring was difficult because of a lacking of water stress. Quite exceptional case, grapes reached ripeness while the vines were still in vegetation.
Grape variety: 100% Sangiovese