A SMALL SERIES OF 3000 NUMBERED BOTTLES OF BRUNELLO
DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI PRESENTS A SMALL SERIES OF BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 FROM THE CASATO PRIME DONNE WINERY WITH GREAT QUALITY AND AGING POTENTIAL
In each harvest the best grapes are identified in the vineyard, hand-picked with great care and vinified separately. The wine remains separated from the rest even during barrel maturation and is used to produce Brunello Riserva and Brunello Prime Donne. In 2018 a small quantity of grapes and then of wine were jealously kept separate from the rest, until they were bottled alone.
Almost an experiment to see if the similarity with the rest of Brunello would then disappear.
Instead, it increased.
The refinement in the bottle made the superior quality with respect to the rest of the 2018 “vintage” Brunello more evident and it was difficult to sell the 3000 Super bottles as if they were the same as the others.
Brunello di Montalcino “Donatella Cinelli Colombini” 2018 uscita ritardata
This is why Donatella Cinelli Colombini and her daughter Violante have decided to emphasize the exceptional nature of this Brunello, born as an “experiment” and then becoming a little jewel for wine enthusiasts looking for exclusive bottles.
Determined to distinguish it from the rest, they inserted a golden stripe on the base of the label. The bottles will be numbered, wrapped one by one and marketed mainly in wooden crates. The price increase is minimal and only serves to highlight the difference.
2018 was different from the very hot vintages of recent years. The summer was cool, interrupted by storms and the best grapes were harvested last, as used to happen thirty years ago. The Brunello of this small series matured for 34 months. A longer period than the normal Brunello and using 4, new, French, 5 and 7 hectolitre oak barrels for the entire initial period. The tonneaux marked with a red heart. The wine was bottled on January 19th , 2023 much later than the normal Brunello but following its own timing. In fact, its vocation for long aging was already evident. Who wants to can celebrate the 2018 date in twenty or thirty years.
You might ask <<but why do such an experiment in 2018, therefore with a harvest devoid of the exuberant power of hot vintages?>> and Donatella’s answer is <<because it is “old style” and allows you to retrace the path that has brought Brunello to success>>.
CASATO PRIME DONNE MONTALCINO SINCE 1592 ALWAYS BELONGING TO THE SAME FAMILY
Casato Prime Donne is a 40-hectare property of which almost half is of Sangiovese variety vineyard. The cultivation is organic, certified since 2018. Donatella Cinelli Colombini‘s estate already belonged to her ancestors in 1592. It is located in the northern area of Montalcino where the climate is cooler and the soils are colder and richer in clay.
LET’S TASTE BRUNELLO 2018 NUMBERED EDITION
COLOUR: bright ruby red
AROMA: almost an explosion of aromas of red fruits such as currants, blackberries and black cherries together with
Brunello di Montalcino “Donatella Cinelli Colombini” 2018 uscita ritardata
citrus and floral hints, especially violets. Some exotic references to cedar wood
TASTE: harmonious, with a freshness that helps the sip and a sweetness that hides the tannins. The finish is intense and long.
HOW TO SERVE, MATCH AND STORE BRUNELLO 2018 NUMBERED EDITION
FOOD PAIRING: important meat dishes and intense, non-fatty food. Perfect between meals with mature cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, very old pecorino.
HOW TO SERVE: Room temperature (18-20 °C). White crystal glasses with large bowl. It is better to uncork a few hours before serving and decant.
CELLARING: 30 years and more. Keep the bottles lying down, in a dark and cold place. Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s winery replaces the corks, certifying the operation 20 years after the year of bottling. The particular longevity of this wine recommends a few years of waiting. It will reach its peak between 2025 and 2030.
PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUNELLO 2018 LIMITED EDITION
VINEYARD: Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne
QUANTITY PRODUCED: 3,000 bottles. Numbered edition with bottles wrapped one by one and packaged in wooden boxes.
CLIMATE: winter, spring and summer with intermittent rain. Sunny September with cold nights, a climate that allowed the grapes to soften their skins and decrease in size while the aromatic richness grew.
GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Sangiovese
TYPE OF CULTIVATION: Organic
HARVEST: October 2nd, the grapes were harvested by hand by selecting the bunches in the vineyard and the grapes in the cellar on the sorting table
VINIFICATION: truncated cone-shaped bare concrete vats with open tops and a mechanical plunger were used which allows the use of pumps to be limited as much as possible. The temperature was kept slightly higher than usual especially in the final phase. The alcoholic fermentation was therefore very delicate and respectful of the grapes and lasted 15 days. The yeasts used were selected from a vinification process that took place at Casato Prime Donne in 2008. The maceration in contact with the skins lasted 18 days in closed vats.
BARREL AGEING: Four 5-7hl French oak tonneaux were used and finally also a 15hl barrel. The tonneaux were new and came from small artisan workshops, which use oak seasoned for over two years.
ANALYSIS: alcohol 15% Vol.; Extracts 33.4 g/l