CENERENTOLA ORCIA DOC 2021 BIO
THIRD GREAT VINTAGE IN SUCCESSION, 2021 IS CHARACTERIZED BY A SHORTAGE OF GRAPES CAUSED BY A SPRING FROST AND A SLOW RIPENING
2019, 2020 and 2021 are three very different vintages but of great quality. They show how global warming favours the vineyards of southern Tuscany despite the excessive heat and cold, drought and monsoon storms that characterize the new climate.
In fact, 2021 had started badly with a spring frost that, fortunately, only grazed the Fattoria del Colle but caused a drastic drop in temperatures preventing the birth of new shoots. There were therefore about 20 days of distance between the first leaves born at the beginning of April and those at the end of the month. The frost and the three summer months without rain produced a drastic decline in the bunches and the size of the grapes that, at harvest, resembled Pinot Noir more than Sangiovese. A cool September that became cold at night, offered the ideal conditions for a slow and regular ripening of the grapes. The result is a wine that combines power, freshness and longevity.
Cenerentola 2021 Orcia doc – Fattoria del Colle, Trequanda, Tuscany
CENERENTOLA’S HOUSE AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE
The grapes for the Cenerentola wine come from the organic vineyards at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda, in southern Tuscany. 404 meters above sea level with a soil mainly composed of marine sands of Pliocene origin. The wine is a blend of two native vines, Sangiovese (65%), king of the Tuscan vineyard and Foglia Tonda (35%), an ancient variety, from the same region, that was abandoned until Donatella Cinelli Colombini fell in love with it. Ten years of attempts until the right methods of cultivation, harvest and barrel maturation were perfected. It is at this point that the Cenerentola label is modified with the addition of a crown to celebrate the success that, year after year, has led this wine to be appreciated by the international press and exported to all continents. The Cenerentola wine is a family wine that comes entirely from the vineyards belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini and then remains in her cellars until bottling. In the wine, the Sangiovese- Foglia Tonda blend combines the vertical elegance of the first with the greater power of the second, which adds colour and polyphenols
DOC ORCIA CENERENTOLA FROM FAIRY TALE TO WINE
The story of the Cenerentola wine is that of a challenge that resembles that of the girl in the fairy tale (Cinderella). Both the girl and the Orcia denomination, to which the wine belongs, have two older, richer and stronger sisters. For the wine, these are the territories of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which are on either side of the Orcia production area. With courage and a pinch of luck, the girl in the fairy tale and the wine challenge the sisters to go to the prince’s ball and marry him. This is what happened to the Cenerentola wine, which has now reached 94/100 in the international press.
DESCRIPTIVE SHEET OF CENERENTOLA DOC ORCIA 2021
TYPE: dry red.
PRODUCTION AREA: Tuscany, Trequanda, vineyards at Fattoria del Colle.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINTAGE: 2021 had a dry winter and a rainy spring that, in early April, was crossed by an arctic current that travelled between 200 and 300 m above sea level. Fortunately, the frost spared the
Cenerentola 2021 Orcia doc – Fattoria del Colle, Trequanda, Tuscany
vineyards at Fattoria del Colle which are higher. The period from June to October was extremely dry with only a few thunderstorms while September had cool days and cold nights.
GRAPES: Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda
HARVEST: From October 5th to 8th . Manual harvest with very careful selection of the bunches. The Sangiovese was harvested first and the Foglia Tonda later. The two vines were vinified separately.
VINIFICATION: In 20-50-100 hl steel vats equipped with thermoregulation for a period of 15-18 days. The fermentation temperatures remained spontaneously low also due to the presence of decidedly low atmospheric temperatures. After fermentation, the must remained to macerate in contact with the skins in a closed vat for about 20 days.
AGEING IN WOOD: 12 months in 5 hl French oak tonneaux and in small barrels. The Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda wines were matured separately and assembled only before bottling
QUANTITY PRODUCED 6,600 bottles
CENERENTOLA DOC ORCIA ON THE TABLE AND IN THE HOME CELLAR
COLOUR: intense and brilliant ruby red.
FRAGRANCE: particularly intense, complex and fine. The primary aromas that recall ripe red fruits are added to the floral notes of violet and the darker and spicier aromas of pepper, juniper and citrus.
TASTE: very intense, rounded, harmonious. It shows an important and pleasantly velvety structure where the alcohol and the fruit balance an architecture of acids and tannins of a great red wine for aging. Long, pleasant and savoury finish.
ANALYSIS: Alcohol 14.5% Vol; Total ac. 5.3 g/l,; Volatile ac. 0.61 g/l; Total SO2 85 mg/l; total extracts 32.3.g/l
FOOD PAIRING: wine suitable for large meat dishes and mature cheeses. Also excellent between meals with savoury biscuits and cured meats. Avoid vinegar, raw onion and garlic, artichokes and asparagus
SERVING TEMPERATURE: serve at room temperature (18-20°C) in white crystal goblets with a wide bowl.
CELLARING: 10 years. Keep the bottles lying down, in the dark and in the cold.