By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Casato Prime Donne Montalcino, Fattoria del Colle Trequanda

As always, Monica Larner, editor of the Robert Parker- Wine Advocate, impresses with her above-average journalistic professionalism. She’s not just a taster, as many of her colleagues are; she’s above all a journalist capable of narrating wine regions and explaining their evolution over time. Reading her helps us understand the appellations, of which she is one of the most faithful and profound narrators. This professional trait derives from her education at Boston University and then New York University, as well as from her experience in the editorial offices of three major newspapers: La Repubblica, the International Herald Tribune, and Corriere della Sera.

A more than solid background which, in more recent years, has been combined with an excellent tasting ability that places Monica Larner among the best wine critics in the world.

93/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2021

Wearing its maturity with confidence, the organic Brunello di Montalcino 2021 Donatella Cinelli Colombini expresses dark fruit, black cherry, and hints of crème de cassis in a style that tends to be richer and more concentrated than much of the current Montalcino wine scene. Although the wine initially presents itself as modern or contemporary, it ultimately resolves with a sleek elegance and a harmonious progression that remains true to the character of the Sangiovese grape.…

L'articolo MONICA LARNER: EXCELLENT SCORES FOR THE NEW BRUNELLOS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination

The Rosso di Montalcino 2022 was born in a very hot year with no rain for seven months. The winemakers at Casato Prime Donne saw grapes arrive in the cellar with berries as small as peas that were then transformed into wines full of noble substances and especially tannins.

A WINE BORN WITH KINDNESS

To obtain silky wines from such a rich must, it was necessary to vinify with extreme delicacy, then extend the maceration in contact with the skins and then bring forward the placing in the barrel to November.

The result is a small masterpiece of harmony: a powerful but elegant and fresh wine thanks to the perfect acid content of the grapes.

The description written by Danielle Callegari perfectly reflects the character of this Rosso di Montalcino 2022 << Aromas of cherry, red orange peel, warm brick, earth and chopped sage create a nose that is at the same time austere, warm and structured. On the palate, crisp and fresh berries combine with notes of aromatic herbs, soil and citrus, all on deep and enveloping earthy tones>>.

WHO IS DANIELLE CALLEGARI

The comment is written by Danielle Callegari, editor for Italian wines at Wine Enthusiast. Danielle is a “super taster”, that is, a person with a higher-than-average number of taste buds, which allows her to identify flavors and aromas better than us mere mortals.…

L'articolo 92/100 AWARDED TO ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2022 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini has known Monica Larner for many years, they have different ideas but they respect each other and above all they are fond of each other. This is why Donatella cried reading what Monica wrote about her husband Carlo in Wine Advocate –Robert Parker. She felt understood and embraced with affection. << I don’t remember having met Donatella without the super supportive Carlo right there at her side. They were a strong couple who were on an equal footing>>.

This is perhaps the most important thing for a producer: feeling understood in his or her deepest life choices.

Just as Monica Larner’s appreciation for choices such as the “late-vintage release” Brunello 2018 is important, a late

release that is becoming more and more frequent in the wineries in Montalcino as well as in Barolo and Barbaresco to test the aging ability of their wine.

95 WINE ADVOCATE – ROBERT PARKER POINTS FOR BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG RISERVA 2019

The style of this wine is closer to Monica’s taste << rich and powerful with a little extra concentration and oomph to keep you warm on a cold winter night…. The tannins are velvety and the wine remains sufficiently structured throughout>>

94 POINTS FOR BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG PRIME DONNE PROJECT 2020

From Larner’s words, the extreme attention in evaluating every aspect of the wine is very clear, the small series, the origin of the organic grapes from a single vineyard and then the differences with the other Brunello 2020 by Donatella Cinelli Colombini <<it has a slightly darker character with more savoury tones than the already tasted classic Brunello of the same vintage….…

L'articolo 95,94, 94,93 STELLAR RATINGS BY WINE ADVOCATE FOR DCC’S BRUNELLOS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

When we show our “medal collection” with the scores obtained by our wines to producers, journalists and buyers… everyone’s eyes open wide in surprise. For a small estate like ours, having 9 and often 10 wines with scores above 90/100, from the most authoritative wine press in the world, is something incredible. It highlights the enormous work of the entire company: in the vineyards, in the cellar and even in the offices.

If they then ask us <<are these the best scores you have obtained on each wine?>> and we proudly reply <<they are just the scores of the wines currently on sale>> I see a murderous light in the eyes of our fellow producers.

This is because we only have 33 hectares of vineyard and to obtain these results we need to transform every bunch of grapes into a high-level wine. A very, very difficult thing.

Just as it is difficult to get the wine critics who count to taste all the wines, that is, not just Brunello di Montalcino. Great tasters are overwhelmed by bottles to taste. Sometimes Monica Larner publishes photos of the stacks of bottles she has to rate and they are truly impressive.

JAMES SUCKLING THE US SUPER WINE CRITIC WHO LOVES TUSCANY

Luckily there are some very active wine critics who review everything sent to them.…

L'articolo DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI’S MEDAL COLLECTION sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Monica Larner editor of Wine Advocate – Robert Parker amazes us once again with the report of 110 wines including Supertuscans and wines from small Tuscan denominations. In her presentation article she specifies that she has included the “usual suspects” i.e. Tignanello, Solaia, Saffredi, Galatrona and Redigaffi and <<some fun discoveries made on the Tuscan wine route relating to smaller or little-known names>>.

MONICA LARNER AND THE BORDEAUX STYLE SUPERTUSCANS

In her explanation of the “super Tuscan” category there is another surprise. Monica Larner clarifies that the highest quality type of Tuscan IGT is linked to a specific period in the modern history of Italian wine, dating back to a period between 10 and 30 years ago << which was heavily influenced by Bordeaux. This catch-all category has always frustrated me because it goes against everything achieved to underline territorial identity, authenticity and varietal typicity in wine>>

This is music to my ears. The continuation of Larner’s article is even closer to my philosophy << People now want freshness, zest and energy. They overwhelmingly embrace a prettier and more elegant side of Tuscany>>.

In the background are the changes that Monica Larner has noticed in the wineries: less oak, more stainless steel, concrete, amphorae and other alternative vessels.…

L'articolo SUPERTUSCAN WINES AND MONICA LARNER’S TUSCAN DISCOVERIES sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini is chasing the dream of creating very “natural” and long-lived Brunellos while respecting the purity of the grapes.

From this comes an obsessive commitment in the vineyards, where the vines are cared for one by one with organic methods and some biodynamic elements. Even the manual harvest is organized to harvest every small parcel on the right day. The fermentations are very delicate, in 50 hl truncated cone-shaped bare concrete vats, so each hectare of vineyard is vinified separately. During maturation, the use of large oak barrels is increasing and that of small 5-7hl barrels is decreasing, barriques are not used. A path that is leading Donatella Cinelli Colombini to stand out among the producers of Montalcino with a style of her own.

Like every year, Monica Larner tastes all the Brunello di Montalcino which is entering the market, to get an overall analysis of the Montalcino area. In her latest article for Robert Parker-Wine Advocate she highlighted the arrival of a new style with a change that starts from the bottom and from small wineries. The wines show the overcoming of the opulent forms typical of twenty years ago; they have a more vertical profile and greater drinkability and freshness.

92/100 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019

Monica Larner describes the tasting like this <<you will find dark fruit, sage and hints of wood as well as fruit compote, grapes and cooked plums… It definitely requires more time in the bottle>> The advice of the Wine Advocate’s super taster – Robert Parker depends on the new wood that she finds in the wine and that comes from the new large French oak barrels.…

L'articolo 94+ 92 AND 92 FROM ROBERT PARKER FOR DONATELLA’S NEW BRUNELLOS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

It is always a great pleasure to receive positive reviews regarding one’s wines and when there are many it is truly a feast. Wineries generally notice that a good rating has been published thanks to the arrival of orders. In this case, Violante Cinelli Colombini, sales manager, received a substantial booking from Canada and shortly after another from the USA, “a good score must have come out”, she said with a smile. Shortly after she read the good news on the Wine Advocate-Robert Parker website: 95+ for Brunello Riserva 2016. 94/100 for Brunello 2017 “Prime Donne”. 93/100 for Brunello 2017 and a nice 90/100 at Rosso di Montalcino 2019. This latter is perhaps the most spectacular result because it concerns a wine that is not part of the Montalcino oenological Olympus but rather part of the younger and less expensive ranks.

All these wines come from Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s cellar in Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne which has been certified BIO since 2018.

Let’s see one by one the reviews and descriptions written by the talented Monica Larner, editor for Italian wines of Wine Advocate – Robert Parker and an excellent journalist with an exploratory nature.

95+ BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 2016

Silky and refined, it also shows the power and intensity that characterize the climate of this classic vintage.…

L'articolo ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE 95+, 94 & 93 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

94/100 from the Brunello and 95/100 for the  “Prime Donne” selection, two extraordinary ratings and especially two comments that portray perfectly  Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s wines and her choice of style.

Monica Larner is the super taster for Italian wines for Robert Parker – Wine Advocate. This is the wine magazine that since 1978, taste and judges 12.000 wine per year, tasting the best wines the world over and orienting the most important buyers. Since 2013 Monica Larner is the Italian wine reviewer and with the passing of time she has begun to stand out because of her ability as a talent scout that can discover new trend and up and coming denominations. Her writing abilities emerge in articles where she tells of events and people with clarity and depth always with a personal touch

WINE ADVOCATE  – ROBERT PARKER

Wine Advocate-Robert Parker, recently bought by the Michelin group, those who print the famous red guidebook on restaurants. This is the only wine publication that does not accept advertisements. Rigorous ethical choices that are shared by all collaborators and that Monica Larner has extended also to other areas like in 2013 when she refused to taste the wines made by a producer who had written offensive racist remarks about a black woman.

Monica Larner’s words regarding Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello are an example of journalistic intelligence and great tasting ability.…

L'articolo Brunello 2015 according to Monica Larner sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.