Leone Rosso 2021 Organic Orcia Doc

Leone Rosso 2021 Organic Orcia Doc

Leone Rosso 2021 Doc Orcia was born in a harvest of excellent quality, 5 stars, but scarce quantity due to a serious frost at the beginning of April

<<Around 1919 my great-grandfather Livio Socini was asked by a bank to take over the Fattoria del Colle which was in bankruptcy due to the terrible management of the previous owner>> says Donatella Cinelli Colombini <<Great-grandfather Livio was an engineer and a successful industrialist who, at the beginning of the century, had also been mayor of Siena.

LEONE ROSSO HAS ON THE LABEL THE RAMPANT LION OF THE ANCESTORS WHO FOUNDED THE ESTATE IN 1592

When he arrived at Fattoria del Colle he saw that there were his family’s coats of arms and then he discovered that it had been founded by his ancestors in 1592. A fortunate circumstance that led him to become fond of this estate. He restored the buildings, bought the most modern agricultural machinery and equipped a cellar with indestructible cement vats>> Donatella’s story shows how, over the centuries, the Fattoria del Colle has had its ups and downs. After Livio Socini there was a second period of decline and in 1998, when Donatella Cinelli Colombini, received it from her father <<it had many debts and a small production capacity.

Chianti Superiore and Leone Rosso wine were the first to be produced with Fattoria del Colle grapes. The latter is dedicated to the Socinian ancestors who had a rampant lion in their coat of arms. Almost a tribute to the courage of Lelio and Fausto Socini (1525-1562 /1539-1604) who challenged the Church by opposing the dogma of the Trinity. For this reason, their names are in every philosophy manual but they suffered persecutions and confiscations which led to the ruin of the family >> and concludes <<I am happy to say that I am bringing Fattoria del Colle back to its ancient splendour>>.

LEONE ROSSO DOC ORCIA 2021

The grapes for the production of Leone Rosso come from the Fattoria del Colle vineyards which are grown organically. They are harvested by hand and then vinified and aged in the estate  winery. The 2021 harvest is the second in a series of three particularly good vintages. For the first time, the harvest was organized by dividing the vineyards into small areas characterized by the same ripeness of the grapes in order to send bunches with the same level of ripeness to the cellar. A complicated strategy to put into practice which required work and commitment but which also greatly improved the quality of the wine. Only one serious problem: there were few grapes due to a spring frost that destroyed part of the shoots.

DOC ORCIA THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WINE IN THE WORLD

The Orcia denomination was born on 14 February 2000 and has its production area in the high hills that are located between the Brunello and Vino Nobile territories. A beautiful area of ​​southern Tuscany, for the most part registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 thanks to the integrity of the agricultural landscape which has remained almost intact for centuries.

For this reason, the Orcia Doc is defined as the “most beautiful wine in the world”.

The characteristic of being a “liquid postcard” of its territory and the opportunity to receive millions of tourists and excursionists every year has rapidly increased the quality of the Orcia DOC wines which now compete with the wines from Montalcino and Montepulciano without fear.

In recent years the Leone Rosso has always obtained ratings above 90/100 from the international press and it is reasonable to think that the excellent 2021 vintage will also obtain the same scores.

 

TECHNICAL SHEET FOR THE LEONE ROSSO 2021 ORCIA DOC ORGANIC

TYPE: dry red.

PRODUCTION AREA: Tuscany, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINTAGE: Frost in early April. From June to October very little rain, especially in the form of violent storms.

GRAPE VARIETY: Sangiovese and Merlot

HARVEST: 13-16 September Merlot harvest, 5 October Sangiovese harvest. Manual harvest with selection of bunches in the vineyard and of the grapes on the cellar sorting table. Very small bunches and berries characterized by a very homogeneous and balanced level of ripeness with excellent tartaric acidity

 

VINIFICATION: Alcoholic fermentation for 10-13 days, followed by maceration for 15-20 days

BARREL AGEING: 6 months in French oak tonneaux

QUANTITY PRODUCED: 16,600 bottles

 

THE LEONE ROSSO IN THE GLASS, IN THE CELLAR AND ON THE TABLE

COLOR: intense and brilliant ruby ​​red.

AROMA: particularly rich thanks to the strong night-day temperature range of the last maturation period. It recalls the must, the small ripe red fruits, the spices and the undergrowth.

TASTE: very communicative wine, well balanced and soft despite the evident tannins. The flavour remains pleasantly long in the mouth with good persistence.

FOOD PAIRING: very versatile, it can accompany the entire meal. The red Lion is also particularly suitable for snacks based on cured meats and young cheeses. It adapts well to intense and even spicy foods

TABLE SERVICE: room temperature (16-18°C), white crystal goblet glasses in the shape of a large tulip.

CELLARING: 4/5 years after the harvest. Keep the bottles lying down, in the dark and cold.