THE CANADIAN MONOPOLY LCBO CELEBRATES WOMEN WITH BRUNELLO
THE CANADIAN MONOPOLY OF ONTARIO, THE VERY POWERFUL LCBO, CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI’S BRUNELLO
Brunello di Montalcino 2018 Donatella Cinelli Colombini
LCBO, a monopoly of the state of Ontario, is one of the most important buyers in the world, with very large stores in Toronto and other cities. In March 2024 it puts the spotlight on the women of wine, spirits and beer. Celebrating their talent and stories
THE CASATO PRIME DONNE WINERY IS A SYMBOL OF FOR WINE IN THE WINE WORLD
In the LCBO newspaper there is a photo of Donatella and Violante and the story of the first Italian winery, with an entirely female staff. The episode that marks the birth of Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino dates back to 1998, when her parents entrusted Donatella with two portions of the family properties, in which to give birth to her new project and, they gifted her a small quantity of Brunello in barrels, to allow her to start her own commercial network.
For her, this wine was very important and so to take care of it Donatella needed an oenologist, so she called the oenology school in Siena, asking for the name of a good student to hire. They tell her no, there is a lot of demand and wine technicians must be booked years in advance. But when she asks for a female cellar manager the answer is different, they have a whole list because good cellars don’t want female managers.
However, from this evident discrimination, the idea of creating a winery with only women was born to demonstrate that they are capable of producing great wines, like men. Subsequently, Donatella Cinelli Colombini became president of the Italian Women of Wine, the largest women’s wine association in the world. Now, next to her, there is her daughter Violante and together they experiment with the use of selected indigenous yeasts and are among the first to use bare concrete vats and eggs in the production of Brunello.
Following is the presentation of Brunello 2018, taken from the description of John Szabo, one of the most famous Master Sommeliers and the true standard-bearer of volcanic wines, to whom he dedicated a monumental essay. The wine profile is taken from Wine Align, a very authoritative portal followed by Canadian wine lovers.
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 – 94 /100
CASATO PRIME DONNE MONTALCINO
<<A delicious, mature Brunello 2018 by Donatella, very savoury and spicy, quite open and ready to go on the nose, even on the palate, already in a very Savory and umami-rich area, with ripe and comfortable tannins and acids coated in abundant fruit extract. The overall length and depth, and indeed complexity, is impressive; this wine should give immense pleasure between now and the next decade or so. Really enjoying the harmony and balance here. Tasted November 2022 >>
The vineyards from which this Brunello is born are at Casato Prime Donne, on the northern and cooler side of Montalcino, around 225 m above sea level. The soils are rich in clay and sea sand. Fermentation uses native yeasts and takes place in small bare concrete tanks. After this, however, the wine rests in older tonneaux and large barrels for at least 2 years. This is followed by a period of at least 6 months in the bottle.