VINOUS GIVES 90, 94, 91, AND 90 TO CHIANTI, ORCIA AND VINSANTO
ERIC GUIDO TASTES 4 OF DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI’S WINES, GIVES VERY HIGH SCORES AND WRITES DESCRIPTIONS SO EVOCATIVE THAT THEY AROUSE AROMAS AND FLAVOURS
Eric Guido is a young wine critic of enormous talent. For Vinous he tastes Italian wines, those from the Pacific coast, Paso Robles and Slovenia. He loves wine but also cuisine – especially Italian – and works in creative writing, copywriting, photography, digital editing. All at the highest levels
In January 2025 he tasted 4 wines from Fattoria del Colle and then published the opinions on Antonio Galloni Vinous’ portal. Two critics who don’t favour anyone and have built their reputation on integrity. This is why their opinions are important. Obviously, they serve the market by guiding purchases but above all they serve producers like me who want to understand if their stylistic choices are going in the right direction. And my choice is territoriality
VINOUS GIVES 90 POINTS TO DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI’S 2022 CHIANTI SUPERIORE DOCG
<<A vibrant mix of crushed cherries, mint and hints of pine shavings wafts from the 2022 Chianti Superiore. This is a juicy effort, with a core of crisp acidity that drives a nice balance of crisp mineral tones and berry fruit>>. The fragrant vinosity of this Chianti Superiore comes from the almost pure Sangiovese and the steel storage that leaves the grape’s characters intact.
VINOUS GIVES 94 POINTS TO CENERENTOLA DOC ORCIA 2019 BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI
<<The 2019 Orcia Cenerentola is intense: it gradually unfurls with a smoky mix of crushed rocks, dried flowers and blackcurrant, complicated by an exotic spiciness that I find wildly attractive. It is silky and rounded, but rather cold to the touch. Depths of ripe red and blue fruits take on a tactile sensation while crisp minerals saturate under an air of internal purple flowers. This finish is long, classically dry and structured, leaving echoes of black liquorice and sage with a top note of chalk dust >>. Words that excite because the Cenerentola wine is like the young girl in the fairy tale who challenges her stepsisters and is eventually noticed by the prince who marries her.
The wine is born in the Orcia Doc, a denomination nestled between the territories of the stepsisters Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano. It is still a newcomer on the international scene. Making the challenge of the Cenerentola wine more complicated is the blend. It is made with two native varieties: Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda. The latter is a little-known variety that critics sometimes struggle to understand. Yet the powerful exuberance of Foglia Tonda and the austere elegance of Sangiovese form a modern and convincing blend that is slightly improved every year and in fact for Eric Guido the 2019 is << the best young vintage of Cenerentola I have ever tasted>>.
VINOUS GIVES 91 POINTS TO LEONE ROSSO DOC ORCIA 2021 BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI
<<With a dusty and intensely floral character, the Orcia Leone Rosso 2021 slowly emerges with a seductive bouquet of dried violets, stone dust and wild blueberries. It is pleasantly rounded and soft, with accents of tart red berries that offset the silky textures while a bitter nuance of cloves emerges towards the end>>. My Orcia Doc for informal lunches with friends, satisfying and versatile is made with Sangiovese, and Merlot. The elegance comes from the first, and the pleasantness from the Merlot.
VINOUS GIVES 90 POINTS TO VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI DOC 2009 BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI
I prefer dry wines but I thank Eric Guido for this very high score. His description of what he smelled and tasted is intriguing. << Rum-soaked raisins join the spice box of cedar, cloves and candied apples as the 2009 Vin Santo del Chianti emerges from the glass. Silky and rounded, it impresses above all with its savoury charm, while tart citrus tones and juicy acidity enliven a centre of ripe orchard fruit and a richness of caramel embellishes the finish. The 2009 finishes spicy and long, leaving a resonance of dried apricots, peaches and rum-soaked cherries>>