The Ardita vineyard is one of Montalcino‘s finest. Every year, in any climate, it produces perfect grapes with small clusters and berries and uniform ripening.

It was planted in 2002 at 225 meters above sea level in a Plio-Quaternary soil with a prevalence of clay and marine sand. It had a slow start and is still not very vigorous; in fact, it almost never requires green harvesting because it spontaneously produces about a kilo of grapes per plant.

Like all the world’s great vineyards, the Ardita vineyard requires very little attention; in other words, it “does everything itself” thanks to a particular terroir. Even in the cellar, the wine produced from the Ardita vineyard requires no human intervention because it is flawless; therefore, it simply needs to be carefully stored in the finest quality barrels.

For this reason, the tasters who choose Brunello Prime Donne through blind tastings of the estate’s entire production often prefer the powerful, velvety structure of the wine from the Ardita vineyard. In the past, they requested it be aged in barrels (15-20 hl), but now they are also fascinated by the character of 5-7 hectoliter tonneaux, especially when steam-bent.

THE 2021 VINTAGE IN MONTALCINO

The 2021 harvest will be remembered as the longest and most expensive because the grapes were selected bunch by bunch in the vineyards. Due to an Arctic current that swept across Europe at the end of April, a large portion of the buds were scorched by the frost, while those that were still closed opened late, several days later.…

L'articolo BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO PRIME DONNE 2021 ORGANIC AND SINGLE VINEYARD sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

This is a unique opportunity for true wine lovers. We’re delighted to present a preview of two extraordinary new vintages of Brunello di Montalcino from Casato Prime Donne by Donatella Cinelli Colombini.

These wines are released on January 1st, so those who participate in this offer will be among the first in the world to taste them and share them with friends.

🍇 Offer of the Month – For Members of Donatella’s Club

3 bottles of Brunello 2021

3 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2020

+ brochure with a map and information about the Montalcino area

Price: €319.00 instead of €370.00

For those who double up

€624.00 instead of €740.00

🍇 For all other friends

3 bottles of Brunello 2021

3 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2020

+ brochure with a map of the Montalcino area

Price: €349.00 instead of €370.00

For those who double up

€689.00 instead of €740.00

🎁 For those who take advantage of this offer, a brochure with a map of the Montalcino area will be included.

NEWS FOR FRIENDS IN THE US, WE WILL PAY THE TARIFFS!!!

This offer is for those who want to start the new year with the perfect wines to celebrate every special occasion!

📅 Offer valid until: January 12, 2026

🛒 How to order

Just one click and the wine arrives directly to your home!…

L'articolo EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: Brunello 2021 and Riserva 2020! sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Casato Prime Donne is usually the first to harvest Brunello grapes, but in 2021, it was among the last to harvest in Montalcino.

This is a very strange year, beginning with the disappointment of the frost that struck all of Europe’s vineyards. In our vineyards, it burned the tips of the first shoots and delayed the opening of those that were still covered when the cold wind arrived. This had two effects: a reduction in grape production and uneven ripening. Indeed, bud break marks the beginning of a vegetative cycle that lasts about six months. The 20-day gap between the first and last shoots resulted in uneven ripening. The result was a very labour-intensive harvest, requiring us to harvest each parcel separately and even go through the same vineyard multiple times, selecting bunch by bunch. This was a painstaking task, entirely done by hand by the pickers.

2021: THE LONG, CAREFUL, AND SPECTACULAR BRUNELLO HARVEST

Most of the harvest was therefore postponed to the end of September.

The bunches resembled those of Pinot Noir: small, open, and with miniature berries.

The heat and drought were also severe, with only two rains totalling 31 mm of rain from June to September, and peaks of over 40°C mid-August. However, paradoxically, the Sangiovese vines ripened in perfect health.…

L'articolo ORGANIC BRUNELLO 2021 BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

All the wineries in Montalcino are beautiful, but Casato Prime Donne is unique because the vineyards are more than just vines and the cellars are more than just barrels. In the first Italian winery with an all-female staff, which also achieved gender certification in 2025, wine lovers will find many surprises and experiences that will enthral even the most experienced.

THE EXCEPTIONALITY OF A VISIT TO THE CASATO PRIME DONNE WINERY

Contemporary works of art enrich the marvellous landscape of the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Alongside, dedications by great women help you reflect and recharge, amplifying the benefits of walking amidst nature preserved by organic farming.

In the winery, painted images and videos tell the story of Montalcino and its people’s sense of belonging. A different way to understand Brunello and discover how only there could a unique and extraordinary wine be born, the fruit of a land and a people with a strong character.

THE FIVE 2026 CASATO PRIME DONNE EXPERIENCES IN MONTALCINO

Each of the 5 experiences offered to wine lovers,  in its own way, tell this story. The Brunello Experience is for those who want to discover Montalcino. Whereas the wine and music tasting and the Brunello vertical tasting are dedicated to the most expert wine lovers and those seeking unique experiences.…

L'articolo EXPERIENCE WITH MYSTERIOUS WINES AT CASATO PRIME DONNE sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

This offer is designed for your Christmas party planning. Three different magnums to enjoy during moments of conviviality with family or friends (last bottles available). These bottles will also be appreciated as gifts by collectors of fine wines.

🎁 Along with the bottles, you will find: a beautiful resin coaster directly from our Toscana Lovers stores and created by Riccardo Marzi.

What’s special about this offer?

The value of a magnum bottle of wine lies in its excellent ability to preserve and evolve the wine, thanks to less contact with oxygen and its ability to withstand temperature changes better than a standard bottle. In addition to the qualitative benefits, the magnum format offers a strong visual impact on special occasions and makes a surprising and memorable gift.

Cenerentola and Foglia Tonda

Two grapes are used to produce Cenerentola DOC Orcia: Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda, both native. Sangiovese is the main grape variety in Tuscany, and in the Orcia denomination, it must comprise at least 60% of the total. In Cenerentola, it accounts for approximately 65%. The Foglia Tonda grape variety is genetically a descendant of Sangiovese. It has been cultivated in Tuscany since time immemorial and is mentioned in 19th-century sources in the Chianti Classico region. Foglia Tonda vines have also been identified in Siena’s historic urban vineyards. It is a late-ripening vine that loves heat and tends to be overly fertile, so its cultivation is primarily aimed at limiting grape production.…

L'articolo CHRISTMAS IS CLOSE, HERE ARE 2 BRUNELLO AND 1 ORCIA FOR YOU! sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Would you like this offer featuring two vintages of Rosso di Montalcino for €264.00 delivered directly to your home?

This offer focuses on Rosso di Montalcino, a wine appreciated for its fragrance and freshness! 10 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino from two vintages and two different sizes: the 2023 Rosso di Montalcino in a 0.750 Liter bottle and the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino in a 1.5 liter magnum (last bottles available).

🎁 together with the bottles you will find: a corkscrew with the logo of the Donatella Cinelli Colombini winery

What’s special about this offer?

This is a special opportunity to receive two Rosso di Montalcino wines from different vintages, made with Sangiovese from the organic vineyards of Casato Prime Donne belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini. The two sizes allow you to choose the occasion for which to open them. An ideal wine for the last days of summer and autumn, for aperitifs, lunches, dinners, and parties. For events with a few close friends, or for a real celebration! Extraordinary: the white-label bottles allow you to personalize a gift for friends or family with a special dedication!

🍇 Offer of the Month – For Donatella Club Members

4 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino 2023, 0.75 litres

4 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino 2023 with customizable white label, 0.75 litres

2 Magnums of Rosso di Montalcino 2022, 1.5 litres

4 gift bags + 4 tissue papers + 4 package seals

1 personalized corkscrew

🎯 Special price: €264.00 (instead of €307.00)

💡 Want to double up?…

L'articolo Offer: two vintages, one passion for Rosso di Montalcino sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

In Montalcino, “pulpette avvolte” are the traditional sandwich for the “festa dei Bianchi”, namely of the Misericordia, the last Sunday in August. In reality, they are very tasty rolls, while the real polpette avvolte are a humble but tasty dish that is prepared in spring and autumn when the cabbages are ready in the garden.

It has the advantage of being able to be prepared the day before and heated up at the last moment, bringing an ancient and intense flavour to the table

INGREDIENTS OF TUSCAN WRAPPED MEATBALLS

For 4 people: 15 cabbage leaves, 500 g of minced meat, 100 g of salted pancetta, 1 egg, 50g of Parmigiano cheese, half

a glass of white wine and half a glass of milk, two slices of bread, salt, pepper, a sprinkling of nutmeg

PREPARATION OF POLPETTE AVVOLTE TOSCANE

Very easy, it takes about an hour including baking in the oven.

Wash the cabbage leaves and blanch them for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water. Dry them.

Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze it, mix it with the minced meat, diced pancetta, egg, Parmigiano, salt and pepper. Grate the nutmeg.

Form meatballs the size of mandarins and wrap them in cabbage.

Bake in the oven at 180°C for half an hour, placing baking paper on the bottom of the baking tin.…

L'articolo POLPETTE AVVOLTE OR CABBAGE ROLLS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, winedestination, Fattoria del Colle, Casato Prime Donne 

Until fifty years ago Montalcino was a poor town where families ate little meat and lots of vegetables because everyone had a vegetable garden. For this reason, the little beef was often boiled, which was mixed with sausages and rigatino to then be stuffed with onions, artichokes, courgettes, potatoes … depending on the season of the year. Housewives had in fact managed to invent delicious dishes that fed even the largest and poorest families. Today stuffed zucchini flowers or topini, as they are called in the Montalcino lexicon, are a delicious rarity. In fact, although they are delicious to eat and can be prepared in advance and then served after heating them in the oven they require a long preparation time. This circumstance discourages young people with very little time available.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE TOPINI DI MONTALCINO

For 6 people, easy to make, takes about two hours 20 courgette flowers, 2 cloves of garlic, a quarter of a red onion, a sprig of parsley, 50g of salty rigatino, 100g of salty Tuscan prosciutto, 100g of minced boiled beef or minced meat or alternatively 2 fresh pork sausages, 50g of Tuscan breadcrumbs, a glass of milk, 2 eggs, 50g of grated dry pecorino cheese, 50g of extra virgin olive oil, half a glass of white wine, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste or a cup of tomato puree, salt and pepper.…

L'articolo TOPINI FROM MONTALCINO sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Rosé wines intense enough to accompany the entire meal and soft enough to be drunk cold.

Fattoria del Colle has been producing rosé wines for over forty years but in 2024, for the first time, part of the grapes for this wine come from the Montalcino vineyards of Casato Prime Donne. A circumstance that gives greater structure to the Rosa di Tetto.

ROSA DI TETTO IGT TOSCANA

The choice to produce a more structured rosé stems from the international success of this type and the demand for rosés with greater personality and aging capacity. A change that coincided with a return to the origins, inspired by the “acquati” produced by Tuscan farmers since time immemorial. Those of a century ago were fragrant but poor-quality rosés obtained by stealing a part of the must at the beginning of fermentation or by refermenting the marc. They were therefore poor wines.

Today there is a precise desire to seek out wines of high quality and great elegance. The Rosa di Tetto 2024 belongs to this typology to which it combines great oenology with a touch of Tuscan tradition already evident in the onion skin colour. This characteristic derives from a prolonged contact between the skins and the must which transfers the typical notes of Sangiovese and a more intense colour to the wine.…

L'articolo ROSA DI TETTO 2024 IGT TOSCANA ROSATO BIOLOGICO-ORGANIC sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

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

The backs of Tuscan farms were traditionally used for artisanal activities: the blacksmith, the oil mill, the laundry… Fattoria del Colle is no exception and on the ground floor, behind the sixteenth-century villa, it had the olive grove, the workshop and the wagon shed and the wash houses. It seems like a more modest part compared to the facades but it is not.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VIEWS IN COUNTRYSIDE TOURISM

The big difference is the view. In front of the villa, the park with tall trees blocks the view while behind it, the gaze extends to Montalcino, the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi. A landscape shaped by the hand of man and that has remained almost intact for centuries. The rooms and tourist apartments located in the back of the Fattoria del Colle are therefore more panoramic than the others but they have a problem: they are exposed to the sun during the hottest hours of the day because there are no trees to provide shade. An element that until twenty years ago was an asset but with the scorching summers of global warming has become a problem

THE OLD-STYLE HOSPITALITY OF THE FARM BECOMES TECHNOLOGICAL WITH AN UPGRADE

In 2025, during the fire safety works, the apartments and rooms in the rear area of ​​the villa underwent a restyling aimed at increasing comfort and making the spaces more welcoming.…

L'articolo UPGRADE OF A CORNER OF FATTORIA DEL COLLE sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini, #winedestination, Fattoria del Colle, Casato Prime Donne

The simplicity of certain preparations brings with it the flavour of old Tuscan farms, of the ancient wisdom of gestures. Perhaps it is precisely the authenticity of what has not changed over the centuries that gives us back the experience of the past. For this reason, I invite you to prepare anchovies with parsley pesto as Nunziatina did, that is, Annunziata Ferretti, matriarch of her family and head housewife in the kitchen of my Colombini grandparents’ house in Montalcino.

FROM CLASSIC PESTO TO PESTO WITH AGLIONE

There are four recommendations: the extra virgin olive oil must be the one pressed a few months ago using organic olives picked early by hand. Just like the one made in Fattoria del Colle.

The unsalted bread, that is, without salt, typically Tuscan, must be made with sourdough and not with chemicals.

It is better if the parsley comes from the garden and is freshly cut. It is better if instead of garlic you use the aglione from Val d’Orcia. The latter is a transgression compared to the domestic tradition of Montalcino but Nunziatina used little garlic and those who love this bulbous plant must opt ​​for the aglione, the kiss-proof garlic, which is much more digestible (but more expensive).…

L'articolo ANCHOVIES WITH PARSLEY AND AGLIONE PESTO sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

For Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the 2023 harvest was <<the most difficult harvest of my life, with my husband Carlo in hospital in Malta and my daughter Violante who directed the harvest alone flying back and forth from Valletta>>.

Added to this were the rainfalls in spring and summer, the attacks of downy mildew and 3 small hailstorms.

In the end, few grapes arrived in the cellar, half the amount of the previous year, but of excellent quality. The Sangiovese grapes showed perfect analytical values. A new selector with optical reader completed the grape selection work by choosing only the best, berry by berry, with the utmost attention.

THE 2023 VINTAGE

After a very dry 2022, a very rainy 2023 arrived. It rained in winter and especially in spring with a June like a universal deluge. Even in summer, very hot days alternated with thunderstorms. The grapes changed colour at the end of August and then the ripening had a slow and regular character. An old-fashioned climate that gives rise to very classic wines.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

Casato Prime Donne is all organically grown. It is located on the northern side of Montalcino on the slopes of the Montosoli hill. The vineyards surround the old farmhouse that gives its name to the property and belonged to Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s ancestors at least since the end of the sixteenth century.…

L'articolo Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2023 BIO-Organic sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

There are vintages that seem born to produce wines capable of defying time and 2019 is one of them.

These are the harvests in which the grapes arrive in the cellar so perfect that they don’t need anything, just attention and patience.

Brunello 2019 is celebrated by critics and consumers as one of the best vintages of the last 20 years and in the Riserva version it finds its most enthusing expression for the silky harmony that hides a powerful structure.

Contrary to what usually happens in the best harvests, 2019 was abundant. A circumstance that also occurred in the legendary 2010 vintage and reveals how global warming has changed the internal balance of plants. In both of these vintages the vines were still in vegetation at the time of the harvest. This is also a rare but very favourable feature.

BRUNELLO 2019 RISERVA IN THE VINEYARDS AND IN THE CELLAR

Mild and arid winter, very rainy spring which delayed budding and then disturbed flowering, resulting in the open

and small nature of the bunches. The summer was hot but not very hot and interrupted by some storms. Disturbances that continued into September when the nights became very cold.

The 2019 Sangiovese had small grapes with particularly thick skins that made it resemble Cabernet. For this reason, the must immediately took on a very rich colour and aroma.…

L'articolo BRUNELLO RISERVA 2019 ORGANIC CASATO PRIME DONNE sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

An unrepeatable opportunity for true connoisseurs. We are pleased to present a preview of two new extraordinary vintages. These two wines will be released on the market on January 1st so whoever makes the most of this offer will be among the first in the world to taste it and offer it to friends. An exclusive privilege for members of our Club.

This offer is for those who want to start the new year with the right wines to celebrate any special occasion!

As gifts, you will receive a vacuum pump to remove the air from the bottles and a wine skin to carry your favorite

wine wherever you go.

The 2019 harvest is to be considered one of the best Montalcino harvests with perfect grapes for the production of a great aging Brunello. The 2020 vintage, however, is reminiscent of the splendid 2015. They are two vintages that are part of the “Vineyard first” project where we make every effort to pick the grapes as soon as they are ready and we develop a system to choose the harvest day based on the tasting of the grapes and on the day in which the quantity of total polyphenols begins to decrease.

OFFER FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

• 3 bottles of Brunello 2020 in preview
• 3 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2019 in preview
• 1 wine saving pump
• 1 Wine Skin to transport your wine in style

PRICE

324,00 Euro (instead of 394,00Euro)

10 Euro discount on shipping

For those who want to double the purchase of wines and gadgets the price is even more convenient

Euro 624,00 (instead of Euro 788,00)

Always with a 10 Euro discount on shipping

OFFER FOR ALL OTHER WINE LOVERS

• 3 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino 2020 in preview
• 3 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2019 in preview
• 1 wine saving pump
• 1 Wine Skin to transport your wine in style

PRICE

Euro 359,00 (instead of 394,00 Euro)

10 Euro discount on shipping

For those who want to double the purchase of wines and of gadgets the price it is even more convenient

Euros 695,00 (instead of Euro 788,00 )

VERY FIRST SCORES FOR THESE PREVIEW TOP WINES BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI

Brunello 2020

Wine Advocate- Robert Parker 93/100

James Suckling 93/100

Vinous 91/100

Brunello Riserva 2019

Wine Advocate- Robert Parker 95/100

Vinous 94/100

THESE TWO PREVIEW WINES AT THE TABLE

Each sip tells a story of tradition, excellence and wine passion.…

L'articolo Exclusive Preview: Brunello 2020 and Riserva 2019! sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

A circumstance that has never happened before which confirms the extraordinary vocation of the Brunello area for the cultivation of Sangiovese, its only grape variety. The favourable effect of the new climate which multiplied the excellent harvests was also confirmed.

However, 2019 and 2020 have different characteristics that enthusiasts will be able to enjoy comparing.

2020 A YEAR AND A BRUNELLO TO REMEMBER

In 2020, the year of Covid, there was a spring frost (18-23 March) which drastically reduced the grapes in the vineyards.

After a mild and arid winter, June was very rainy while from mid-July to the end of August the heat was never interrupted by storms. The good weather continued in September until the harvest when the disturbances began to arrive. The rain circled  around leaving Casato Prime Donne dry until September 25th when the harvest was almost completed. That day there was a real downpour but, fortunately, almost all the grapes were already in the cellar.

The 2020 Sangiovese grapes were perfectly ripe, healthy, with well-lignified seeds, small berries and the typical crunchiness of great vintages.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

The Casato Prime Donne cellar, where this wine was born, is a flagship of female oenology and is the first in Italy with a staff of only women.…

L'articolo BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG 2020 ORGANIC sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

NEWS ON THE EXCELLENT VINTAGE 2022

Few very good and healthy grapes due to the 2021 frost which extended its effects into the following year, and also

due to the seven months of drought which put the vines and the winemakers to the test, as they were forced to continuously hoe the earth. 2022 will be remembered as the year of drought and tannins and it was also a very hot year where budding occurred early, also leading to an early harvest compared to the normal calendar. The small caliber of the grapes and their thick skins have allowed the creation of very structured and long-lived wines. The very favorable relationship between the skin and the juice of the grape has produced an exceptional concentration of noble substances and above all of tannins in the wine. For this reason, the vinification was very delicate and the maceration in contact with the skins was prolonged.

THE 2022 VINTAGE OF ROSSO DI MONTALCINO FROM CASATO PRIME DONNE

The result is a powerful and sunny Rosso di Montalcino, like the heat of summer 2022, but also with a surprisingly fresh sip thanks to the perfect acid content of the grape.

WHAT IS CHIANTI SUPERIORE

The Superiore type indicates Chianti with superior quality characteristics and aging ability. It is produced from vineyards with greater vocation and lower production.…

L'articolo OFFER: TWO ORGANIC 2022 FAMILY WINE PREVIEWS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

In the land of Brunello, Chianti Superiore and Doc Orcia for an experience that lovers of Sangiovese and great Tuscan wines cannot miss.

Four days full of different and interesting experiences in the vineyards, in the cellar and in the tasting room. At the end, participants will receive a certificate demonstrating their growth in knowledge of the great Sangiovese-based Tuscan wines.

THE TOURIST HARVEST AS A FUN AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, the program will be fun and capable of interesting both great wine lovers and beginners.

Participants will stay at Fattoria del Colle, a small hamlet with 400 years of history. There are apartments and rooms, 3 swimming pools, a restaurant and of course the winery. Surrounding is a wonderful landscape of vineyards and olive groves. In addition to this farm Donatella Cinelli Colombini owns Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino with the vineyards and cellar that produce Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. Donatella’s wines are produced in small exclusive series, exported to 44 countries and ten of them have been awarded scores above 90/100 in the international press.

TASTING THE GRAPES, THE MUST AND THEN THE WINE

The 2024 tourist harvest program includes tasting the grapes to learn the level of ripeness and the days left until harvesting.…

L'articolo TOURIST HARVEST 2024 WITH TASTINGS, EXPERIENCES AND DINNERS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI PRESENTS YOU  WITH A SMALL SERIES OF BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 FROM CASATO PRIME DONNE OF GREAT QUALITY AND WITH AGING POTENTIAL

In 2018 a small quantity of grapes and then of wine was jealously kept separate from the rest in 4 5-7hl French oak tonneaus and finally also in a 15hl barrel, until it was bottled on its own.

The refinement in the bottle made the superior quality to the rest of the 2018 “vintage” Brunello even more evident.

This is why Donatella Cinelli Colombini and her daughter Violante have decided to emphasize the exceptional nature of this Super Brunello, born as an “experiment” and that has become a small jewel of only 3000 bottles for enthusiasts looking for exclusivity to drink

HOW DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE FROM THE BRUNELLO 2018 VINTAGE?

To distinguish it on the label, a golden stripe has been inserted on the base. These bottles will be numbered, wrapped one by one and marketed mainly in wooden crates. The price increase is minimal and only serves to highlight the difference.

THE 2018 HARVEST

2018 was different from the very hot years of recent years. The summer was cool, interrupted by storms and the best grapes were harvested last, as used to happen thirty years ago.…

L'articolo ONLY FOR THE CLUB: ORGANIC BRUNELLO 2018 “LATE VINTAGE RELEASE” sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI PRESENTS A SMALL SERIES OF BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 FROM THE CASATO PRIME DONNE WINERY WITH GREAT QUALITY AND AGING POTENTIAL

In each harvest the best grapes are identified in the vineyard, hand-picked with great care and vinified separately. The wine remains separated from the rest even during barrel maturation and is used to produce Brunello Riserva and Brunello Prime Donne. In 2018 a small quantity of grapes and then of wine were jealously kept separate from the rest, until they were bottled alone.
Almost an experiment to see if the similarity with the rest of Brunello would then disappear.
Instead, it increased.
The refinement in the bottle made the superior quality with respect to the rest of the 2018 “vintage” Brunello more evident and it was difficult to sell the 3000 Super bottles as if they were the same as the others.

This is why Donatella Cinelli Colombini and her daughter Violante have decided to emphasize the exceptional nature of this Brunello, born as an “experiment” and then becoming a little jewel for wine enthusiasts looking for exclusive bottles.
Determined to distinguish it from the rest, they inserted a golden stripe on the base of the label. The bottles will be numbered, wrapped one by one and marketed mainly in wooden crates. The price increase is minimal and only serves to highlight the difference.

2018 was different from the very hot vintages of recent years. The summer was cool, interrupted by storms and the best grapes were harvested last, as used to happen thirty years ago.…

L'articolo A SMALL SERIES OF 3000 NUMBERED BOTTLES OF BRUNELLO sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

The Brunello of this vintage is characterized by a particular richness of aromas thanks to the cold nights of the entire maturation period and by the evident vocation for long aging.

2018 follows a year of extreme heat and therefore everyone welcomed the insistent spring rains with joy. In fact, the storms continued, making the winemakers work a lot and worrying the cellar staff because the bunches, and especially the berries, were too big. Furthermore, a disturbance of Nordic origin at the end of August had stiffened the grape skins. In September the positive turning point: sunny days made the grapes return to their optimal size, progressively softening the skins. To favour the action of the sun, the vines were stripped. The Sangiovese grapes for the 2018 Brunello Riserva were harvested on October 1st.

HARVEST AT CASATO PRIME DONNE AND THE ROLE OF THE GRAPES PICKED FOR THE RISERVA

It is worth explaining how the harvest is planned at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino. The vineyards surround the winery. They are on 4 different types of soil and with different exposure.

During maturation the grapes are analysed to follow the evolution of sugars, acids and polyphenols, i.e. the noble materials contained in the skin. Shortly before the harvest, the oenologists taste the grapes and divide the vineyards into small areas with the same level of ripeness.…

L'articolo BRUNELLO RISERVA 2018 BY DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

Every season has something special. Something that makes it more attractive and fascinating than the others and makes it be chosen for a  regenerating trip. In spring there are very long days suitable for art tourism while the countryside is covered with a green velvet of buds. In summer it is the desire to escape from the suffocating atmosphere of the cities that pushes travellers where they can enjoy the sun, nature and dinners under the stars, distant from traffic. In autumn there are the most beautiful views and the possibility of enjoying them slowly, on walking or cycling itineraries, at the right temperature. In autumn there are the most refined joys of the palate such as white truffles, extra virgin olive oil just arrived from the mill and the preview of the Brunello which will come out of the cellar on January 1st…

At Fattoria del Colle we offer you truffle weekends to savour these little pleasures.

THE FOLIAGE OF THE SANGIOVESE VINEYARDS THAT BECOME GOLDEN YELLOW

Autumn is the period of foliage, the one most loved by photographers. The foliage, which is the moment of the change of colour of the leaves, is an authentic tourist attraction. The most famous foliage tours in the world are in Japan, New England, the English Lake District, Vermont and near Seoul.…

L'articolo FOLIAGE, AUTUMN HOLIDAYS IN THE TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

A unique opportunity for true wine lovers who want to receive 3 premium wines to open for important occasions and to serve with delicious dishes, or to organize a nice tasting with 3 vintages compared.

The Brunello di Montalcino Riserva by Donatella Cinelli Colombini is a great wine (100% Sangiovese) extremely balanced and fine, which comes from a small vineyard at Casato Prime Donne di Montalcino, the first winery in Italy with an all-female staff.

Together with the bottles you will find a small gift: a personalized apron from the Donatella Cinelli Colombini winery.

OFFER FOR DONATELLA’S CLUB MEMBERS

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2013

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2015

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2016

And

1 apron with the Casato Prime Donne logo

DURATION OF THE OFFER

The offer ends on 06 October 2023

PRICE

395.00 Euros (instead of 462.00 Euros)

15 Euro discount on shipping

For those who want to double by buying 4 bottles of each Riserva the price is even more convenient

Euro 764.00 (instead of Euro 918.00.)

Always with a 15 Euro discount on shipping

OFFER FOR ALL OTHER WINE LOVERS

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2013

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2015

2 bottles of Brunello Riserva 2016

And

1 apron with the Casato Prime Donne logo

PRICE

425.00 Euros (instead of 462 Euros)

15 Euro discount on shipping

For those who want to double by buying 4 bottles of each Riserva the price is even more convenient

Euro 823.00 (instead of Euro 918.00)

Always with a 15 Euro discount on shipping

HOW TO ORDER AND BUY THIS OFFER WITH ONE CLICK

Order now on our online shop and the wine will be delivered directly to your home!…

L'articolo OFFER: VERTICAL OF 3 TOP BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini #winedestination

The Casato farm already belonged to my ancestors in 1592. Over the centuries they used it for hunting and for honeymoons. Today the property seems close to the town of Montalcino in a northerly direction, towards Siena, but at that time it appeared remote and in the middle of the woods suitable for solitary intimacy. More recently the Casato belonged to my grandmother Giuliana Tamanti Colombini, then to my mother Francesca and in the future, it will go to my daughter Violante. All women for a winery which is the first in Italy with an entirely female staff and has been renamed “Casato Prime Donne”.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

In 1998, when my mother gave it to me, Casato was almost a ruin. In 25 years, it has changed into an estate capable of exporting to 44 countries around the world with around 17 hectares (out of a total area of ​​40) of organic Sangiovese vineyards cultivated with obsessive care. I am a traditionalist, a nature lover but also a non-conformist and rather rebellious. For this reason, in my first years alone, I looked for new and different solutions, then I returned to being the paladin of everything ancient and manual with roots proudly in the earth.…

L'articolo DONATELLA TALKS ABOUT HER TWO WINERIES sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The 2023 edition of the Casato Prime Donne Award, scheduled for September 16^TH , was dedicated to Francesca Colombini Cinelli, whom I would like to remember here with you.

The initiative was born with the name Premio Barbi Colombini thanks to my mother, in 1981, to bring the interest of the press on Montalcino and Brunello, but also to create new contacts, in the belief that the relationship with great cultural personalities would open minds and would stimulate new energy in the whole territory.

Over the years it has given a boost to the growth of Montalcino and, in 1999, the Award was transformed into a promoter of female talent,  and since last year it has added to its previous activity that of incubator of young talents.

FRANCESCA COLOMBINI CINELLI

My mother Francesca was involved in the award activity until the years of the pandemic, when her health began to falter. However, her main activity was entrepreneurial, first alongside her father Giovanni Colombini and, since 1976, alone. A woman in an almost exclusively male world of wine in which she was well aware of being an exception, as she explains in an article in the “Corriere vinicolo” in 1988 <<the situation of women is less bright in the world of wine or at least in that part of it where the leading companies, in terms of quantity and quality, are located>>.…

L'articolo CASATO PRIME DONNE AWARD POSTPONED sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

The Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino has renovated its Tuscan-style store, made by Tuscan artisans and designed by  Tuscan Lorella Salvi

Faithful to her principles, Donatella Cinelli Colombini wanted the Casato Prime Donne to speak the area in which it is located. She hates “non-places”, i.e. environments that could be anywhere in the world and do not tell their own story. So, when she realized that her cellar store needed a restoration, she called Lorella Salvi from the OMIF company in Siena and asked her to <<reorganize this space for me using the style of the place, the local materials and the craftsmen of this area>>.

THE CASATO PRIME DONNE STORE

Lorella smiled but understood. She has been collaborating with Donatella for many years and designed the 3 stores for her: Tuscany Lovers in Siena, Bagno Vignoni and Cortona. For the Casato Prime Donne she therefore designed an environment of very Tuscan austere elegance: wooden shelves with pilasters and frames that recall the old pharmacies of the region, Carrara marble top as in the taverns and three ancient terracotta jars (obviously Tuscan) to support the counter and the glass surface on which to prepare the tastings. Some choices have been controversial such as those regarding the marble, which <<gets stained but when stained it becomes more seasoned and more real>>.

The overall effect is that of furniture “that has always been there” perfectly integrated with a stone farmhouse built over four hundred years ago.…

L'articolo NEW LOOK FOR THE CASATO PRIME DONNE WINE SHOP sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini, art historian winemaker, wanted her most exclusive wine to be like an author’s painting and has prepared a certificate in which to note every change of hand of the bottle after leaving the cellar. A document that tells the story of wine after the stage of production and also places the right emphasis on who owns it because, it is well known, how the presence of “excellent names” increases its value.

The first bottle with a “pedigree“, therefore with the “family tree” of the owners, is a Brunello di Montalcino 2016 IOsonoDonatella.

It is a very small numbered series of only 180 copies. It begins its marketing in February 2023 inside a luxury box which also contains the 2013 and 2015 vintages of the same wine. Together they form a vertical destined for great wine lovers and collectors. The presence of the certificate on the IOsonoDonatella 2016 is the last touch that increases its prestige.

IOsonoDonatella IS BORN AT CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

IOsonoDonatella is a super selection of Brunello produced in small series only in the best vintages. It is obtained from Sangiovese grapes from the Casato Prime Donne vineyards in Montalcino at an altitude of 225 meters on Pliocene soils with a prevalence of clays and marine sands.…

L'articolo Brunello IOsonoDonatella 2016 first wine with a pedigree sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

When a wine producer sees his work rewarded by the judgment of great experts and the market, it is always a great joy and Donatella has many of these moments. Here you will find the description of her Brunellos by two super Canadian journalists. They tasted Brunello 2018 as a preview in November at the event organized by the Consortium. The ratings are excellent, 94/100 and 94/100, and the descriptions are wonderful.

Below follows the presentation of the Brunello Riserva 2016 by the LCBO, the very powerful Ontario monopoly based in Toronto.

And finally, the 91 points for Cenerentola Doc Orcia 2018 from Falstaff which, with its 144,000 copies, is the largest German-language food and wine magazine.

94 and 94 ratings for BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI

MICHAEL GODEL ON BRUNELLO 2018

It is a long-awaited harvest for the cellars on the northern part of Montalcino because after some formidable vintages this one that stands out for its grace . The reality is just exactly that, warmth and exceptional liquidity. Everything works and works wonderfully. A multifaceted expressiveness, perfumes, concentration, integration and if there is wood (and there is some) you do not notice it. Everything plays and works authentically, with kindness and honesty. Clarity is above average.…

L'articolo RATINGS REWARD BRUNELLO AND THE DOC ORCIA sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

INAUGURATION OF THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINIAND DIVINEA WINE SUITE

Donatella Cinelli Colombini inaugurates the collaboration with Divinea – WineSuite with 8 wine experiences designed for the new tourist – explorer in search of unique, engaging, authentic moments, that are respectful of nature and local traditions. Strengthened by her profound knowledge of the wine tourism phenomenon, proven by the 5 manuals she has written, Donatella has decided to proceed in two directions: ultra-traditionalism in the experiences of tourists and a lot of innovation in contacts.

CRM AND WINE TOURISM

Hence the wine hospitality in the  wineries Casato Prime Donne  in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda will use a CRM system to manage contacts.

For Italian wine tourism it is something new and capable of transforming cellar visitors into customers who continue to buy bottles, even after returning home, through the wine club and proprietary e-commerce.

CRM – Customer Relationship Management – is in fact a system capable of developing contacts which, in Donatella’s case, start from an archive of about 10,000 names.

WINERY TOURS 2023 AT CASATO PRIME DONNE MONTALCINO

The four  2023 wine tourism proposals at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino differ from those normally organized by Italian wineries and are aimed at visitors with a different degree of interest in wine.…

L'articolo 2023, THE YEAR OF THE NEW WINE TOURISM sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

In the tradition of the Val d’Orcia, saffron had very particular uses: it was spread on the peel of pecorino cheese to make it look older and increase its price. It was also used to dye fabrics….

Obviously the Montalcino saffron is not fine saffron like the Iranian or the Indian Kashmir ones but it is intense and has an ancient tradition that makes it worth trying.

In gastronomy, Montalcino’s tripe is the triumph of saffron.

In the Quartiere Travaglio, one of the four districts into which Montalcino is divided, the beginning of Lent is celebrated with a meal of tripe with saffron.

INGREDIENTS FOR MONTALCINO’S TRIPE WITH SAFFRON

For 4 people:

500 g of veal tripe, a spoonful of baking soda, an onion, 2 celery ribs, 2-3 cloves, 10 grains of black pepper, a pork trotter, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 chili pepper, extra virgin olive oil, half a litre of meat broth, a pinch of saffron (half a spoonful), 50 g of aged pecorino cheese, salt and pepper.

PREPARATION OF MONTALCINESE TRIPE WITH SAFFRON

Soak the tripe for a day in cold water and baking soda. Change the water several times. Boil it in a pot of water together with the onion, celery, cloves, peppercorns and salt.…

L'articolo MONTALCINO’S TRIPE WITH SAFFRON sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

After a very dry 2017, the first half of 2018 was very rainy and replenished the soil’s water reserves. A positive element for nature but also a challenge for those who cultivate the vineyards. 16 rainy days in January, 16 in February, 20 in March, 11 in April and 18 in May. In June the Sangiovese vines for Brunello had few bunches and a lot of grass also because we grow organically and therefore without herbicides.

THE 2018 VINTAGE IN MONTALCINO

An English summer, with an umbrella always at hand and, at the end of August an Arctic disturbance that whitened the Alps and stiffened the skin of the grapes in our vineyards. September had sunny days and almost winter nights. An anomalous climatic situation that has greatly helped the vineyards. The grapes became smaller and as they matured they softened and an amazing synthesis of aromas took place.

The aromatic richness is the characterizing element of the 2018 vintage.

HARVEST 2018

Defying the weather forecasts, which fortunately were wrong, the harvest was delayed until the end of September.

As I said, a real challenge as rain was forecast every day and instead only arrived when the harvest was almost over.

All the grapes were harvested by hand, leaving the best for last as our grandparents did.…

L'articolo Brunello di Montalcino 2018 BIO sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Montalcino’s series of extraordinary harvests does not seem to want to stop: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Never before has the land of Brunello lined up such a dazzling sequence.

Each vintage with different characteristics to create the desire and curiosity to taste them all. Rosso di Montalcino offers this opportunity rather quickly and here is the 2021, vigorous and velvety after six months spent in cask.

The young appellation of Montalcino is experiencing a period of particular success. A growing market demand that has literally emptied the cellars, monographic tastings by Sommeliers and journalists, an event that highlights “RED Montalcino” and a number of articles never seen before. In short, it is a trendy wine that young wine lovers like for its drinkability and pleasant and understandable style.

VINTAGE 2021 IN MONTALCINO

The frost in early April drastically reduced the number and size of the bunches. Summer climate with extreme trends and peaks of heat over 40 ° C in mid-August. Some large thunderstorms mitigated the effects of the high temperatures even though the summer was dry overall with only 31mm of rain between June and the harvest. This reduced the size of the berries which reached full, healthy and homogeneous ripeness. The very strong temperature range, between night and day, in September favoured the synthesis of aromas, giving the future wine a particular aromatic richness.…

L'articolo Rosso di Montalcino 2021 from Casato Prime Donne sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

It is wonderful to see your wines in the Wine Spectator Insider. A weekly preview of Wine Spectator that reaches wine lovers and collectors from all over the world. It is like seeing your jewel in the Cartier window on Place Vendome in Paris, that is, in the city of fashion and in the most visible spot for the most glamorous millionaires.
There are two 2017 Brunellos made by Donatella Cinelli Colombini in the Wine Spectator Insider and both with 93/100. Excellent result that our USA Importer immediately relaunched on social networks.

BRUCE SANDERSON’S DESCRIPTION OF THE 2017 VINTAGE OF BRUNELLO

Bruce Sanderson’s description of the 2017 harvest is masterful in terms of synthesis and effectiveness  << The winter was mild and rainy until March, when temperatures increased, leading to an early bud break. In mid-April, a frost occurred which caused some damage. However, the biggest impact was the drought from May to August, with high temperatures in July and August…. The rain in mid-September refreshed the vines and revived the grapes>>.
The description of the harvest highlights the different dynamics in the southern part of Montalcino  where the harvest began in early September and in the northern area, where the Casato Prime Donne is located,  grapes were picked 3 weeks later with lower temperatures.

Overall a harvest scarce in quantity which favoured the old vineyards and those who carefully selected the grapes by eliminating the ruined grapes.…

L'articolo 93 and 93/100 to the two 2017 Brunellos 2017 by WS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

There is a famous phrase by Winston Churchill (statesman and Nobel Prize for Literature 1874-1965) that corresponds to the feeling of the Brunello winemakers in 2017 << not always to change is equivalent to improving, but to improve you have to change>>.

MONTALCINO REIGN OF THE GREAT SANGIOVESE IN 2017

In truth, Montalcino is among the wine districts most benefited by climate change and, even in 2017, it was spared from frosts and other climatic disturbances that affected other areas.
However, summer 2017 was scorching also in Brunello land.  While the oak woods turned orange in the middle of summer, the grape growers at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino looked after the Sangiovese vineyards with the hoe helping them to overcome stress.   In the end, the organic cultivation, which made the soil softer and more alive, as well as the reduction of the bunches and the management of the canopy to shade, have borne their fruit.
Few grapes but very good.

BRUNELLO 2017 HARVEST WITH EXTREME SELECTION OF GRAPES

The harvest was a painstaking work. The grapes were harvested by hand dividing the bunches of the two sides of the espaliers. Something slow, artisanal and very demanding both from an organizational and an economic point of view.
But <<to improve you have to change>> and maybe change means going back to the grandparents’ systems and recuperating from your memory the old vineyard practices. …

L'articolo BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG 2017 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

BRUNELLO 2015, SUPERTUSCAN IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE 2018 AND OUR ORCIA DOC LEONE ROSSO 2019 AT HOME

For relaxing moments at home, for those who love to experiment with dishes from all over the world and even mix and serve them during same dinner. For those who have fun and get excited by combining foods and wines from different cultures.
To these wine lovers we offer a 6-bottle carton with three family wines from Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s vineyards and matured in her cellars at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle in southern Chianti in Tuscany. The carton will arrive directly at your home.

We propose again the Brunello di Montalcino 2015 by Casato Prime Donne, a 5-star vintage, more ready to open now, for an evening with friends or for a romantic dinner for two. An extraordinary vintage that was celebrated even before going on the market, and where the climatic trend shows the characteristics of the best Brunello vintages. The international press awarded this wine with excellent ratings:
• “TRE BICCHIERI” Vini d’Italia 2021 – Gambero Rosso
• 95 James Suckling
• 94 Wine Spectator
• 94 Wine Advocate – Robert Parker
• 93 Decanter
• 92 Wine Enthusiast
• 90+ Vinous – Antonio Galloni

Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 instead comes from the Fattoria del Colle where three varieties are used with creativity and produce a true IGT Toscana “signature wine”.…

L'articolo OFFER: MIX OF FLAGSHIP WINES sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

BRUNELLO RISERVA 2016 AND BRUNELLO 2017 AT YOUR HOME

To start the New Year as every great wine lover dreams of doing.

Wine lovers from all over the world are waiting for the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016 which is considered one of the best harvests in the last century. In 2016, in the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne the vegetative cycle of the vines – from the budding to the harvest – was longer than usual, this gave birth to well balanced grapes and deep Brunello wines, and they are satisfying, refined and suitable for long aging.

The total respect for the grapes and the search for purity that characterizes all our work – from the vineyard to the bottle – will surprise you in the 2017 vintage. It is a very hot vintage where the grape growers have shown all their talent. They understood the needs of the Sangiovese vines, cultivating them organically, and helping them to endure the sun. The clayey and cold soil of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s vineyards and a small amount of rain  have allowed the production of grapes of excellent quality from which a Brunello was born, one that will surprise you with its pleasantness, elegance and silkiness.

Casato Prime Donne is a property of 40 hectares of which almost half are of Sangiovese vineyard.…

L'articolo OFFER: BRUNELLO 2017 AND RISERVA 2016 IN PREVIEW sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

There is a magic, a mystery, a beauty … in nature, which must be understood and enhanced. In 2016 in the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino one of these wonders took place in the Sangiovese grapes for Brunello.

THE MAGIC OF THE BRUNELLO 2016 BORN FROM A LONG VEGETATION CYCLE

Every year, to produce grapes, the vine performs a vegetative cycle similar to the pregnancy that gives birth to babies.
For women it lasts nine months, for the vine six.
Two months from budding to flowering, two months from flowering to veraison, which means to the change of colour of the clusters and the last two months until harvest.
With climate change when it is very hot the budding takes place, often, 15 days sooner and therefore also the harvest generally takes place in advance compared to the traditional calendar.
Instead, in 2016, the vegetative cycle, so the pregnancy of the grapes began early and ended late because in the last phase the climate slowed down the ripening.

This has created an authentic masterpiece in the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne. The perfect grapes that produced a very elegant and satisfying Brunello, silky like very thick velvet, deep and able to defy time.

CASATO PRIME DONNE IN MONTALCINO

Casato Prime Donne is a property of 40 hectares of which almost half are vineyards of Sangiovese variety.…

L'articolo BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 2016 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Those who arrive in Montalcino have different curiosities: there are those who know little or nothing about wine and know Brunello almost only by hearsay. Then there are the wine lovers always looking for new experiences and new knowledge about Brunello. Finally, there are those who want only exclusive, exceptional experiences made especially for them.
Casato Prime Donne, in the northern part of the Brunello territory, offers 4 tailor-made experiences for these wine tourists making each of them live something exciting and different from any other winery.

CASATO PRIME DONNE A SPECIAL WINERY FOR SPECIAL CUSTOMERS

is a very special place: it is the first Italian winery with an all-female staff; it exports to 41 foreign countries and produces wines with very high ratings from the international press. But visitors find something more than a farmhouse from the late sixteenth century full of barrels and vats, there is the story of the history of Montalcino in images, there are installations by contemporary Tuscan artists, which allow you to experience wine in an unusual way. This wealth of different elements enriches the tourist route and has allowed the creation of 4 experiential visit proposals capable of exciting and surprising newcomers and very experienced Brunello enthusiasts too.

For detailed programs and to book just click on the site or call +39 3455495154

FOR TOURISTS: BRUNELLO EXPERIENCE AND NOT ONLY

Visit to the vineyard and cellar, anecdotes, itinerant tastings and photos in the artistic installations.…

L'articolo Casato Prime Donne revamps its experiences with Brunello sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

<<In my experience as a wine producer, which is now very long, I remember only two other harvests like this: 2010 and 2016>> said Donatella Cinelli Colombini, commenting the 2019 vintage. A confirmation that Montalcino has had an increasing frequency of excellent vintages thanks to climate change that seems to benefit inland Tuscany.

THE ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2019 AND THE MORE AND MORE FREQUANT 5 STAR HARVESTS

There are also other changes; contrary to the past, the great harvests of the new millennium, generally, are also abundant in grapes and the vineyards are still in vegetation during the harvest days.

Another feature of 2019 and of the other great recent harvests in Montalcino is the small size of the berries and bunches. <<It seems Cabernet>> the oenologist Valérie Lavigne told Donatella, visiting the vineyards to decide the harvest calendar. A comment that does not do justice to Sangiovese, king of Tuscan oenology, but that had a touch of truth in it because, in 2019, Sangiovese di Montalcino behaved exactly like the most famous French variety by immediately giving a lot of colour to the must.

THE SAME SANGIOVESE AND THE TWO DIFFERENT WINES FROM MONTALCINO

Rosso di Montalcino comes from the same Sangiovese vineyards where Brunello is born. The grapes are chosen to become one of the two wines based on the component of alcohol, acids and polyphenols that must be more abundant for the type of wine destined for long aging.…

L'articolo Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2019 by Donatella  sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

The Brunello di Montalcino 2015 Riserva is a fine red apt for long cellaring that can be stored for decades for an important occasion but also opened now to match with the Thanksgiving roasted turkey. Its velvety, powerful and refined character transforms autumn lunches into special occasions to always be remembered.

DON’T MISS THE OCCASION TO CELEBRATE WITH A FINE WELL-RATED WINE BY THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS

The Brunello Riserva 2015 has obtained exceptional rankings from the major international wine critics:
95 Wine Spectator
94 Wine Advocate – Robert Parker
94 Vinous – Antonio Galloni

93 James Suckling
92 Wine Enthusiast

A SMALL PRESENT FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE TRAVELLING BY PLANE AND WANT TO TAKE A BRUNELLO WITH THEM TO CELEBRATE

Together with the 6 bottles of this wine, we will put into the case a wineskin, a sealed bubble wrap sachet that permits travelling with the bottles in your suitcase during flights, protecting them from damage and saving your clothes in case your suitcase is really badly treated.

FOR THE MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB 6 BOTT. BRUNELLO 2015 RISERVA – WINE CELEBRATION BOX

Offer for Memebers 378,00 Euro (instead of 450,00 Euro)

For Club members who wish to double the order the deal is even better: 12 bottles of Brunello 2015 Riserva 736,00 Euro (instead of 900,00 Euro)

The price includes free shipping in Italy or 15 Euro discount for shippings abroad together with 1 wineskin

FOR ALL OTHER CLIENTS 6 BOTT.

…

L'articolo TOP WINE FOR THANKSGIVING 2021 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

For years, vinifying a “single vineyard” has been a happy memory. The search for quality in grapes has become so maniacal that the harvest has become a patchwork that brings together small quantities of clusters of the same variety but with similar or completely opposite characteristics to balance each other.

<<Take the grapes from this corner, put them together with those from the vines from the central area of the vineyard next door and then move three parcels further on to take the rest to be vinified in the same vat>>. Barbara Magnani, the senior oenologist of my cellars, has the map of the harvest plan in her mobile phone so as not to miss the complicated collage.

HARVEST 2021- THE PATCHWORK HARVEST

They are all Sangiovese grapes from our vineyards. The new thing, compared to the past, is that they come from different areas and even from different sides of the espalier. The harvest has become similar to a treasure hunt where you use your mouth to select the grapes and the scales to weigh them in order to fill the vat in a single day exactly with the most homogeneous grapes.

In the end we realized that winemaking vats over 100 hl no longer serve us and we will have to sell them to fill the fermentation hall with many small containers with a capacities of 20, 30, 50 hl but not larger.…

L'articolo 2021 grape harvest collage sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

In the Tuscany of fine red wines, in an historic winery, unique and pleasant experiences such as guided tours with itinerant tastings, gourmet dinners with 3 courses perfectly matched with specific wines, the winemaker game, cheese making ….. Many engrossing moments to which can be added: hiking, photography safari, tastings in front of breathtaking views or walks with resting stops to enjoy the silence and perfumes of the countryside.

FATTORIA DEL COLLE IN AN UNCHANGED CORNER OF THE OLD TUSCANY

Fattoria del Colle  (click to book) was born in 1592 as a rural hamlet that, during the centuries has been miraculously preserved and offers now holidays in apartments, rooms and villas. These are furnished with authentic furniture, a modern comfort in the welcoming simplicity of the countryside. Surround there are equipped parks, 23 swimming pools, a restaurant, banquet hall, cookery school and natural wellness area.

THE BRUNELLO, CHIANTI AND DOC ORCIA WINRIES AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

The most important thing is of course wine. The owner, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, created the first two Italian wineries with an all-female staff at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda and Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino. A flagship for women’s oenology that in just 22 years has managed to produce a range of wines of absolute excellence, 9 of which with scores above 90/100 in the international specialized press and to export to 39 countries around the world.…

L'articolo WINE EXPERIENCE IN TUSCANY DURING THE EARLY SUMMER WEEKENDS sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

I adore hunting for mushrooms and in the woods around Fattoria del Colle it is easy to find them. It is very difficult for me to come home empty handed and there is no need for physical exertion either. Few porcini but many pinaroli, lecciaioli, bigine, cappelle del prete, paonazzi, ordinali, but no ovuli. I also enjoy cleaning them, when I have time. I do not eat many but I am very proud to offer them to friends especially with Pappardelle or polenta.

Polenta or “pulenda” as we say in Montalcino, is the food for when it is cold and when the North wind blows or when it snows. To cut it with a bit of thread is already a feast, if then you add a glass of Cenerentola Doc Orcia, the fairytale with the lit fireplace with the copper pot … hoping that the Prince Charming will arrive.

INGREDIENTS FOR POLENTA WITH MUSHROOMS

For 4 people

Easy, takes about an hour

500 g of corn flour – large grain, 15 g of extra virgin olive oil, a spoonful of coarse salt and 2 lt of water.
For the dressing: two garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, 500 g of mixed mushrooms (fresh or frozen), 500 g of pureed tomato, salt, grated Parmigiano.…

L'articolo Polenta or pulenda with mushrooms sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

A 5 star vintage.  Like the gestation period of a human being there is a process that brings the grapes to the day they are picked and it lasts a precise time, and varies only because of the climate, but generally made up of three 2-month phases for a total of 180 days.
In 2016 the budding of the vines took place 15 days sooner than normal and this should have brought forward the harvesting period by 15 days. Instead the biological cycles slowed down and the harvest took place at the usual time.
The ripening was perfect, like every grape grower dreams of. Sunny days, cold nights, only one storm on September 18th. Small clusters with small berries and a parallel evolution between skin and pulp that brought to the harvesting day with a perfect technical and poliphenolic ripening.

BRUNELLO 2016 AND DONATELLA RETURNS TO THE ORIGINS

For Donatella Cinelli Colombini and the Casato Prime Donne winery 2016 was a return to tradition, vinifying Brunello in concrete tanks with mechanized punching down of the cap of grape skins. Obviously these are up to the minute French tanks, as is the punch down mechanical system, but the procedure is the same as 500 years ago.…

L'articolo Brunello di Montalcino 2016 from Casato Prime Donne sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

In the spring of 2016 the vines budded 15 days sooner than usual, but the grape harvest took place at the beginning of October, more in line with the traditional calendar.  For the first time in the last twenty years Donatella Cinelli Colombini saw her grapes ripen in the old way. The accumulation of sugar in the grapes proceeded more slowly than the ripening of the polyphenols and everything happened very gradually thanks to the sunny days (only one storm on September 18^th) and to the cold nights. When harvest time arrived the ripening was perfect both in the skin and in the grape pulp.
Sangiovese grapes able to produce long lasting, deep and complex wines. Very elegant wines with silky tannins and a great harmony. Wines that are similar to those that Donatella learned to love as a young woman with her grandfather Giovanni Colombini and that, now in fact, are vinified like long ago; in small unlined concrete vats, using autochthonous yeasts and punching down the caps with the plunger.

BRUNELLO PRIME DONNE SYMBOL OF FEMALE TALENT IN WINE

The Brunello Prime Donne is the symbol of the first winery in Italy to be all female staffed, Casato Prime Donne on the North-West slope of Montalcino. Three female winemakers work here – Barbara, Sabrina and Giada – plus an external consultant, Valérie Lavigne.…

L'articolo Brunello Prime Donne 2016 in preview sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

An exclusive “Fine wine”, a collector’s Brunello and an investment, limited to just 1000 bottles. Perfect for presents and special occasions.
Each bottle is packed in a single box upon which is reproduced the medieval Tuscan cloth called “tela di Pienza”. Opening the fan shaped box the bottle appears, decorated with a ring- shaped glitter design surrounding Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s crest in gold. This Brunello tells the story of Donatella Cinelli Colombini, descendant of a noble family from Siena in Tuscany, who before being a wine producer like her ancestors had studied the history of art. After having worked for years in the family winery, in 1998 Donatella created the estate that bears her name. Her parents gave her two properties, in Tuscany, that she has restored. In Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne has 17 hectares of vineyard and from where she produces some Brunello greatly appreciated by wine critics all over the world and exported to 39 nations. Among these the selection IOsonoDonatella is the most exclusive and precious Brunello. It was created starting with the 2010 vintage when Donatella understood that her dream of producing a great wine of international success had come true. It was later produced with the Brunello 2012 and 2013.…

L'articolo FOR DONATELLA’S CLUB MEMBERS the extraordinary Brunello IOsonoDonatella sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

It is a Liberty-style dessert, an era when cafés became an important place in social life. In Montalcino, like in Venice or Turin, the local public places in the centre were re-qualified and enriched with velvet and mirrors so as to be able to welcome the bourgeois clients. These in Montalcino, the city of Brunello, comprised those who were noble, academics, business men, landowners and even a few artists.

CAFFE’ IN FORCHETTA IN MONTALCINO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY

Montalcino has always, in fact, had a diversified social structure, cultured and open minded. Regardless of this liveliness the lifestyle of the women was controlled and certainly not as casual as in Paris. In particular, women were criticized if they drank coffee, it was considered too audacious. For this reason a cream caramel was invented where to the milk was added to coffee. This way it was possible to serve coffee to the ladies without it seeming so.  This dessert was quite a success and was served in all homes, until like everything else it was no longer fashionable. I published a booklet called “66 ricette di cucina montalcinese” where the fine oral Montalcinese gastronomy was transcribed. This brought back into use the caffè in forchetta that is now once again very present in the restaurant menus in the Brunello territory.…

L'articolo CAFFE’ IN FORCHETTA, A MONTALCINO DESSERT sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Wine and tourism out in the open. A formula born by necessity because of social distancing due to Covid-19. Come to live a new wine experience. Discover the vegetative cycle of the vine, the soil, the grape varieties and most of all the panorama. For instance the landscape here becomes a protagonist of outdoor toasts and wine tastings.

CASATO PRIME DONNE WINE TOUR IN THE BRUNELLO VINEYARD

Casato Prime Donne a Montalcino is open also on Saturday afternoons from now on. It proposes a tour with an itinerant tasting of Rosso, Brunello di Montalcino and Brunello Riserva. It is possible to see some of the organic Sangiovese vineyards and also where the wine ages in barrel and vinifies (at least from outside).

There will be explanations regarding the vintages of Brunello in front of the Calendar with the stars. It will be possible to interact with some of the modern art installations. There is the selfie frame, or Punti di Vista and the Modernacolo created for Carla Fendi. The tour lasts about an hour and is very engaging.
Just one request: it is necessary to book beforehand.

FATTORIA DEL COLLE MANY PROPOSALS FOR STAYS AND DAILY ACTIVITIES

It is important to register before leaving home also for stays at Fattoria del Colle . Here the activities proposed to guests are many and diverse because the farm is like a small hamlet for the 16th century surrounded by vineyards and olive groves with a splendid panorama of the Crete Senesi and the Valdorcia.…

L'articolo The Casato Prime Donne and Fattoria del Colle wineries reopen sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The simplest things are generally the nicest. Whipped ricotta is so easy to prepare that even people like me, who never cook, can do it. It is an exquisite dessert and need little preparation time.

Obviously there are many versions that are much more complicated. I am proposing the Montalcino recipe with Vin Santo in it, to be served with the same amber coloured wine and maybe with a couple of biscuits or cantucci.

INGREDIENTS

Ricotta, sugar, raisins, pine nuts, egg and Vin Santo  

PREPARATION

Put into a bowl the Vin Santo and the raisins so that they get plump again and take on the flavour.

In a second bowl place the ricotta and the sugar and whip so as to obtain a smooth cream. Add the egg yolk and the pine nuts whilst stirring. Finally pour onto the ricotta the raisins with the Vin Santo blending them well into a cream, which according to personal taste can be more or less alcoholic.

I like ricotta montata with lots of Vin Santo lots of raisins and lots of pine nuts. Spoon the ricotta montata into single portion bowls and keep in the refrigerator. Serve cold.…

L'articolo Ricotta Montata sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

An exclusive proposal for Brunello lovers, those passionate about fine red wines apt for cellaring and of superb collector’s vintages: 2004, 2007, 2012 all in the RISERVA version and in a wooden crate. All vintages that have been rated five stars with excellent write-ups from the international specialized press.

OFFER: 6 BOTTLES OF BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 2004, 2007, 2012 IN A WOODEN CRATE AND 6 RIEDEL GLASSES FROM THE PERFORMANCE COLLECTION

This offer finishes on June 16th, 2020

FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

Special price of 559,00 Euro (instead of 658,00€)

We offer free shipping in Italy and 15€ discount on shipping abroad.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT YET MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

Special price of 592,00 Euro (instead of 658,00€)

To this price the cost of shipping must be added, for Italy the cost is 18€, while the cost of shipping abroad varies from nation to nation and will be quoted upon receiving the order.

Payment via bank draft or via credit card Visa o MasterCard.

The offer finishes on 16th of June 2020.

TO BOOK SEND AN EMAIL TO

vino@cinellicolombini.it

——————————————–

THE RIEDEL GLASS FOR BRUNELLO

To taste Brunello, crystal glassware is necessary, a balloon shaped cup narrower at the top.…

L'articolo A vertical of Brunello Riserva together with its glasses sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda, a municipality where there have been no cases of Covid-19, and Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino, where those infected have been just a handful, thanks to a Sangiovese in a patron saint version, these are the locations where Donatella Cinelli Colombini, from July 1st, expects tourists and wine lovers.
She wants to offer them fun and regenerating holidays, or just a few hours rest, immersed in the beautiful and uncontaminated landscape, tasting wines of extraordinary quality.

COUNTRY INN STAYS AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE

Holidays in apartments and rooms with private and equipped outdoor area to eat out-of-doors. Weekly stays, but also 2 nights stays with two dinners and wine tastings. To sanitize against Covid-19, medical-surgical products and a hydrogen peroxide system are used.

For safety reasons daily cleaning cannot be done in the apartments and rooms, so they must we considered self care/self-catering with just a daily supply of clean linen.

PARKS, SWIMMING POOL AND HIKING

Fattoria del Colle has a total surface of 336 hectares and consequently offers wide spaces to regenerate out in the open air. There are 3 equipped parks where to sunbathe, admire the panorama and enjoy the quiet of the countryside, 1 swimming pool, 3 signposted hiking trails, where one discovers nature, a special trail dedicated to the vine.…

L'articolo Fattoria del Colle reopens Country Inn and Restaurant sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

All Brunello is able to last in bottle for many years; the Riserva version is born for very long cellaring. Donatella Cinelli Colombini produces Brunello Riserva only in the best vintages, choosing by hand a small quantity of absolutely perfect Sangiovese grapes. For this reason Brunello Riserva has only been made 10 times in 13 years.
Always small quantities, for each vintage about 6.000 regular bottles and 100 magnums get produced.
The Magnum size 1,5 lt is the size where the wine is preserved best. If you are a wine lover and you want to surprise your friends with two exceptional Brunello, do not miss out on the possibility of buying these magnums of Brunello Riserva 2012 and 2013.
They will arrive in wooden boxes, directly on your doorstep together with a vacuum wine saver. This will help you store the bottle and be able to enjoy the wine, within the next few days.

OFFER- BRUNELLO RISERVA 2012 AND 2013 MAGNUM IN WOODEN BOX

Receive directly at home in  A WOODEN BOX AND WITH A VACUUM WINE SAVER

FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

Special price  248 Euro (instead of 310) up until May 19th 2020

We offer free shipping in Italy and a 10€ discount on shipping abroad.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT YET CLUB MEMBERS

Special price 265 Euro (instead of 310) up until May 19th 2020

To this price the shipping cost must be added, for Italy 18,00€ while abroad the cost varies from nation to nation and will be quoted upon acceptance of the order.…

L'articolo 2 magnums of Brunello Riserva, 2012 and 2013 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

In Montalcino, long ago, it was possible to buy these only during the 40 days Easter. Only bakeries sold them, and with their vans they delivered all over the countryside. Even further back the farmer’s wives would bake them in the wood fire, placing them in the oven after everything else had been cooked, so the temperature was much lower.

The Corolli are doughnut shaped buns to be dunked in milk at breakfast timer. They are not very sweet so I always thought that they were “repentance” quite the opposite of the tasty cakes and desserts for carnival time or the rich Ricciarelli and Panforte for Christmas time.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE COROLLI DI MONTALCINO

A teaspoon of beer yeast, 600 g of flour, 100 g of sugar,60 g of butter, 250 g of sultanas, a pinch of aniseed, 5 g of salt, a few  Zibibbo berries

PREPARATION OF THE COROLLI DI MONTALCINO

Blend the yeast with 100g of flour and a little warm water. Leave the dough to rest for about half an hour until it begins to rise. Knead it again using the rest of the flour and adding 250g of water and all the other ingredients: sugar, butter (long ago it would have been lard), sultanas, aniseed and salt. As soon as the dough is nice and smooth leave it to rest for 30 minutes until it begins to rise again.…

L'articolo Corolli di Montalcino for Lent sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

My memories go back to the years between 1975 and 1985; I was a young woman and was living between Montalcino and Siena. This was a very middle class existence and however decidedly provincial. I was used to meeting with intellectual and famous people because my family had always associated with that type of person, but Federico Fellini was surely out of range

That man was quite a myth. A worldwide recognized genius with 5 Oscars. His fame was so big that it would have daunted even those more equipped than I. In front of him I was consequently very nervous. My hands were sweaty I was unable to sit still and most of all I was able only to say a few polite sentences but was unable to have a proper conversation. I thought I didn’t have anything that would be interesting to say. What a shame!!

Federico Fellini and his wife Giulietta Masina would come to Tuscany for the Chianciano thermal waters. From there they would come to Montalcino for a break during the sessions, and maybe even for a gluttonous escape. Often they would come with Mario Guidotti or sometimes with the young Fabio Carlesi.

FEDERICO FELLINI AND GIULIETTA MASINA IN MONTALCINO

Fellini was always untidy as though he hated to have his clothes ironed.…

L'articolo Donatella Cinelli Colombini remembers Federico Fellini sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Story of the 2018 Rosso di Montalcino vintage

The 2018 harvest has given wines rich in aromas thanks to the strong difference in temperature between night and the day, in September, consequently during the last stage of maturation.
That of 2018 was a harvest with few grapes and required real courage to wait to harvest after the grape skins had softened and so becoming able to yield to the must the noble substances: the polyphenols.

In fact, in 2018 the weather forecast promised rain and hail. If the storms had really arrived, they would have ruined the bunches. Donatella and her winemakers have bet on the sun and thus faced the challenge by taking into the cellar only wonderful grapes.

Novelty in 2018

For the first time, in 2018, we have resumed an ancient habit of the Montalcino winemakers, the grapes have been selected in the vineyard by harvesting only those with the same level of ripening. This allowed to vinify in each vat grapes with homogeneous characters. Obviously the work of the winemakers has become slower and they have returned more than once in the same vineyards always choosing the grapes.
Above all the advantage of this type of selective harvesting is to have the perfect grapes for both Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino.

TYPE: dry red.…

L'articolo Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Rosso di Montalcino 2018 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

HOW BENVENUTO BRUNELLO WAS BORN

It is said that the idea of the previews was born during a trip to the USA of the Consortium of Brunello when the president Sante Turone announced to his deputy Andrea Constanti and to the director Stefano Campatelli we will make an event to present Brunello who is about to enter trade and give evaluation (from one to 5 stars) of the last harvest. His name will be Benvenuto Brunello.

Despite the astonishing reaction of the two interlocutors the project went on and the first edition was organized in 1992 in the multipurpose halls under the Municipality of Montalcino while the tile with the two stars of the harvest was painted by Roberto Turchi.
A year later, at the event, it grew up moving under a tent set up in the fourteenth-century fortress of Montalcino and then (with my personal contribution), in the present location of the Sant’Agostino complex. As the influx of specialized journalists from all over the world grew, so did the buyers, who have traditionally reserved the last two days of the tastings. In the success of Benvenuto Brunello has played a determining role the  Montalcino agency WineNews of Irene and Alessandro Regoli that grew of reputation and importance almost at the same speed.…

L'articolo Benvenuto Brunello a 28 year old success sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

EASTER WEEKEND AT FATTORIA DEL COLLE WITH A VIEW

 Fattoria del Colle (write to holiday@cinellicolombini.it for the program) is an extraordinary place. It is basically a small hamlet built at the end of the 16^th century. Here there is an aristocratic villa, chapel, parks, and old farmhouses transformed into lodgings for visitors, restaurants and wellness area. Above all at Easter we are offering guests the possibility to really experience the authentic and old Tuscany . We propose  old recipes such as corolli and schiacciate or l’acqua cotta pasqualina,… guided tours in the Brunello and Orcia Doc-Chianti Superiore wineries , brief cookery lessons and itinerant or vertical  wine tastings to understand the magical longevity of the Montalcino wines.

SURROUNDING THE FATTORIA DEL COLLE ESTATE ABBEYS AND CITIES OF ART

Surrounding the farm, a landscape that has remained miraculously untouched for. A short distance away are the great cities of art and the great abbeys. Just  12 km away the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, 35 km distant is the Abbey of  Sant’Antimo in Montalcino and just over an hour away the Abbazia di San Francesco in Assisi. In a 40 km radius one finds  Cortona, Montepulciano, Pienza, San Quirico-Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino, Buonconvento and Lucignano.…

L'articolo Easter at Fattoria del Colle sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

It is well known that Sangiovese has the highest number of clones (108) and the greatest variability. In short, it is a mutant grape variety which is best expressed in two areas: Chianti Classico and Montalcino.

THE SOILS OF SANGIOVESE IN CHIANTI CLASSICO AND MONTALCINO

Understanding the soils of these two areas helps to identify the specificities of wines in their most exceptional versions. We are led by Professor Edoardo Costantini and his lectures at the Scuola di alta formazione “sanguis jovis” of the Banfi Foundation published in the book“Il Sangiovese del futuro” (2019).

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SOIL

The general concept of soil should be stressed: it is the superficial part of the earth’s crust, which varies according to climate and man’s intervention. Italian soils represent 51% of the world’s geological variability. In our country there is therefore an enormous concentration of eras: from the oldest (Gallura) to the secondary, tertiary and quaternary ones.

EFFECT OF THE SOIL ON THE VINE AND WINE

It must be said that in warm and dry vintages the effect of the soil on wine is greater, when the distinctive characteristics of the terroir are more evident.
The vine, like any plant, reacts according to the quantity of air and water of the soil in which it is planted.…

L'articolo The land of Sangiovese: Chianti Classico and Montalcino sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne is produced only in the best vintages. It’s a small selection of 6,000 bottles intended for high-level restaurants and wine bars around the world.

It’s the first Brunello produced and thought from a female perspective. In fact, the winery that produces it, Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino, is the first in Italy with an only female staff, including the enologist. In addition, it is the first long-aging red wine that is followed, from birth to bottling, by a pannel of 4 expert international tasters: a wine shop owner, a sommelier and two Master of Wine: Astrid Schwarz, Daniela Scrobogna, Rosemary George MW to which is about to be added the Swedish Madeleine Stenwreth MW. They choose the wine among the different vineyards of Sangiovese Brunello, decide the type of oak barrel and finally the blend among the oak barrels .

Obviously Brunello Prime Donne is also popular with men and has excellent ratings in the main international press, but it is also a flag for female wine. In fact, in 1998 when Donatella

Cinelli Colombini inaugurated the project “Prime Donne” and the role of the fair sex in enology was very small, this wine was the first to celebrate the importance of female taste.
Brunello Prime Donne is very traditional, with an excellent structure with velvety tannins and great harmony.…

L'articolo Brunello Prime Donne 2015 a wine to marry. sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

At Fattoria del Colle, the New Year’s Eve 2020 holidays full of experiences for foodies, wine lovers and lovers of peace and Tuscan traditions

From 26 December 26th till January 6th, Fattoria del Colle, in the south of Chianti, offers a program of daily animations able to introduce visitors to the most authentic and ancient Tuscan tradition. There will be a visit to the wineries of Brunello with a special musical accompaniment, the cooking lesson on Sienese Christmas sweets such as panforte and ricciarelli held by a pastry chef, themed dinners with 3 dishes, the experience “oenologist for one day” led by a sommelier, the guided tour of the historical parts of Fattoria del Colle with itinerant tasting, tasting of the new olive oil …. Each initiative is tailormade to offer knowledge and fun to both great wine lovers and simple lovers of the countryside and views.
For the detailed program of the activities, the prices and to book click here.

FATTORIA DEL COLLE AN INTACT CORNER OF ANCIENT TUSCANY

Fattoria del Colle was built by the ancestors of the present owner in 1592 and has been preserved miraculously intact over the centuries. There is the villa with the ancient kitchen, the room of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and the underground now full of barrels, there is the Chapel of San Clemente and all around parks, olive groves, vineyards and truffle reserves. Also the transformation of the ancient village of peasants into tourist residences was made without altering the original characteristics preserving even the ancient floors, the rooms are furnished with authentic local antiques.…

L'articolo New Year’s Eve 2020 tasting Brunello in the Tuscan countryside sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Wine Enthusiast with 95/100 and Robert Parker with 94/100 reward Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s  Brunello riserva 2013,  and with 91/100 her  Brunello vintage 2014

Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello 2013 Riserva flies high thanks to the 94 and 95 out of 100 from the two most important wine magazines in the world. Hence, a favourable beginning for the sales of the riserva that starts right now thanks to the preview events in Tuscany.

Most noteworthy is the rating of the Brunello 2014 judged by both Wine Advocate/Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast with 91/100. A high rating for a wine of extraordinary pleasantness but not apt for a very long ageing, factor that usually has great weight in the International wine critic’s opinion. 2014 was a very rainy so the Brunellos from that year are at the moment more satisfying compared to other vintages where the structure (tannic and acidic) and has an effect of more powerful fullness in the mouth. The  2014 vintage has  the elegance of a classical ballet dancer, fort eh reason that it offers pure pleasure, it is a carefree wine as described by Monica Larner, in other words a Brunello to be consumed and not stored.

BRUNELLO RISERVA ALL IN AGREEMENT:VERY VERY GOOD

Let us go back to the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2013 indicating also the 97/100 from Bruno Petronilli in his  jamesmagazine , and where he confesses to have been quite surprised by the quality of this wine, as he did not expect it to be so high << A very charming Brunello, right from the aroma, that seduced with a solemn elegance…..…

L'articolo For Parker and Wine Enthusiast excellent Riserva 2013 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Practically an adventure weekend, together with the sacredness of convents and some gluttonous indulgence at the table and in the cellar, especially discovering Brunello, Chianti and Orcia through tastings and unique experiences.

Fattoria del Colle is a small hamlet in the midst of the countryside that has remained unchanged for centuries. Olive groves, vineyards, smooth hills of the Sienese and the Crete Senesi full of cities of art. In Fattoria del Colle the rooms and apartments are furnished with antiques, there are two restaurants, 4 hiking routes, three parks, a cookery school and of course the wineries.

EASTER FOR WINE LOVERS AND THOSE ENAMOURED WITH THE COUNTRYSIDE

The Easter program includes an authentic master class on the fine Tuscan wines, this is fun and full of surprises that will impassion even teetotallers and will transform wine lovers into real experts on Sangiovese. Then tours of the Brunello and Orcia wineries, brief cookery lesson, guided tours to the historical part of the 16th century villa and to the historic vegetable garden, three themed dinners, and a vertical tasting of Brunello ….

For those who wish to relax in the healthy warmth of wine and water there is a Jacuzzi for a toast in front of the panorama and a tub for couple’s vinotherapy  and then natural therapies to regenerate the body and mind in the delightful and exclusive wellness area at Fattoria del Colle.…

L'articolo Easter in Tuscany, discover fine wines sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

HISTORY

By Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The name comes from Persia, Zaafran .In fact it comes from Asia and the southern coast of the Mediterranean, even though, for many centuries it has also been cultivated in Marche, Abruzzi, Sardinia, Umbria, Toscana and Basilicata.

It is the most valuable of spices.Around this flower there is a legend:  Homer writes that saffron was a comfortable bed for Zeus, the old Romans used the flowers to cover the roads before the passage of prices and emperors.

It was also used for ministers’ headdresses for ceremonies, and for dyeing their robes.

For this reason too, apart from the quotations by Pliny and Ovid we are sure that the Romans knew of saffron, but its cultivation then was lost and began again in L’Aquila thanks to the Dominican Padre Santucci who imported it secretly from Spain.

CULTIVATION

Saffron is a crocus about 5 cm long from which generally three violet flowers with red stigmas. It loves dry climates and a sandy soil such as those in the Val d’Orcia dove where is has been grown since time immemorial.

The type that is most prestigious and desired by those who love good cuisine is the Crocus sativus which is sterile and reproduces only thanks to cloning.…

L'articolo Saffron and the Montalcino recipe for tripe sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

The Brunello 2013 vintage started off with a low profile judged a 4 star vintage, but after the ageing in barrel has proven to be extraordinary in its complexity and finesse.  In the IOsonoDonatella this characters show in its extraordinary elegance. This is in fact an exclusive “fine wine” apt for important occasion and as a gift, this wine is produced only during the best harvests and comes entirely from the Ardita vineyard. This is a plot of Sangiovese of about two hectares where the soil gives the grapes and wines an extraordinary finesse.

The IOsonoDonatella selection was created for the first time with the Brunello 2010 when Donatella Cinelli Colombini understood that her dream of making an exceptional Brunello had come true. A project that began in 1998 when she received from her mother Francesca, Casato Prime Donne on the Montalcino hill and began to renovate the winery. An impassioned grape grower’s dream that year after year has brought Donatella to obtain awards from all over the world

The IOsonoDonatella bottles tell Cinelli Colombini’s story. On the bottle front the shape of a ring made out of glitter, with her crest in real gold.

This symbolizes a medieval ring with a seal, these we subjects that Donatella studied when young and when she dedicate all her time to history of art and especially goldsmiths’ work from the 15th century.…

L'articolo IOsonoDonatella 2013 Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

This proposal during harvest and racking is for wine lovers who want to see how the wines are born but also for lovers of the countryside and of its harmonium landscapes, of its traditional cuisine, of a simple but elegant style of life

Donatella Cinelli Colombini proposes two experiences: the first should coincide with the white grape harvest and to the moment of first tastes of the red grapes. The second on the other hand should be when the Sangiovese grapes for Brunello and the clusters for Doc Orcia and Chianti Superiore reach the cellar. To see how these famous wines which get International consent are born, is an exciting experience that allows one to come into contact with nature and allows you to share the producer’s passion.

September 1st-2nd, two days one night pull of experiences that enrich with knowledge and emotions.

Arrive on Saturday afternoon, tour the vineyards and learn about the technique of tasting grapes that allows grape growers to evaluate the ripening and to foresee the date of the harvest. Hoping in favourable weather and the cellar decisions, you should be able to take part in the phases of picking and preserving the Traminer grapes for the Passito. Then a tour of the winery with a tasting of 3 Brunello and then a 4 course dinner matched with four wines from Fattoria del Colle.…

L'articolo Grape harvest and racking between Brunello, Orcia and Chianti sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Monasterace is a town where a pharmacist married with two children, a normal woman, has become a modern hero. She is a mayor who has remained in place despite attacks and personal threats thereby becoming a symbol and a shining example for all women. This is our Prima Donna 2012, the star of our ceremony in Montalcino, which is taking place on Saturday, September 15th at 5pm in the Astrusi Theatre, together with Giorgio Dell’Orefice, Luciano Ferraro, Montalcino News and Gianfranco Bracci, other award winners from the stunning countryside where we produce our wonderful Brunello and the Doc Orcia wines.

It is amongst this beautiful countryside that you find the Casato Prime Donne which is owned by Donatella Cinelli Colombini. It is a winery the first in Italy with an all-female staff, which organizes the prize and promotes the merits of the selected female model individual amongst society much as it promotes its barrels of Brunello. The shining female example that the judges of the prize Casato Prime Donne were looking for was easily recognised in the

individual Maria Carmela Lanzetta, the italian mayor who has suffered the burning down of her family pharmacy business, survived three gunshots at her car and numerous other threats, and despite all of this she has stuck to her principles and maintained her post as mayor which has gained the respect and solidarity of the national institutions and also of her countrymen.…

L'articolo All the winners of Casato Prime Donne Award 2012 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

Each year about one million wine tourists visit Montalcino, they are attracted by the reputation of the Brunello wine and are eager to return home with these prestigious bottles and important first-hand information from the wine producers themselves. To help them to

visit the wineries, the Consortium of Brunello has printed a Wine road map which has a list of all manufacturers accompanied by their phone numbers and information about the wines they produce.

Therefore it is perfect for those of you who prefer to buy bottles of Brunello from various different producers in order to compare your judgment and personal opinions with those of the famous wine experts. Here in Montalcino we offer a wine comparison shopping spree

which is unrivaled across the world. The majority of wine bars and cantinas stock the Brunello wines from all the wineries and some of them can offer online marketing and distribution services. There are also a few small exclusive highly qualified wineries which are able to offer rare bottles.

Many wineries and cantinas also offer wine tasting and there is even one with an Enomatic systemwhich offers the opportunity to taste 100 different Brunello wines, perfect for those

who are staying nearby and who want to taste as many wines as possible!!…

L'articolo Shopping for Brunello wine in Montalcino sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

An unique experience to discover how the great tuscan red wines such as Brunello, Chianti Superiore and Doc Orcia are  produced. You will meet new friends, you will sleep in the houses of the ancient farmers and you will live a funny day between vineyards and cellars during the grape harvest with technical wine tasting and tasty dishes from Crete Senesi and Val d’Orcia. Sunday, before leaving, vertical guided wine tasting of Brunello di Montalcino produced at Casato
Prime Donne and lunch at our restaurant with pinci. Furthermore visit to neighbouring towns such as Pienza and Montepulciano.

Programme:

Saturday 22nd September
Check-in at Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda in the south of Chianti district
4.00 pm grape harvest experience in the vineyards
5.00 pm in the cellar to see the vinification process
6.30 pm Happy wine in the histyorical cellar at Fattoria del Colle with Cenerentola Orcia Doc and
Pecorino cheese from Crete Senesi
8.00 pm Dinner at the restaurant Osteria di Donatella with view on Trequanda village. Menù with dishes of ancient senese meat like Pappardelle al sugo di cinta senese and grilled chianina meat

matched with Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne 2007
Night stay at Fattoria del Colle

Sunday 23rd September

10.30 am guided tour at Fattoria del Colle in the ancient rooms of the sixteenth-century villa, the chapel and the historical cellar. …

L'articolo Grape harvest weekend in Tuscany sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

The harvest went perfectly, like the one all grape growers dream of. An easy harvest too: the soil was well hydrated, sunshine at the right time and a final vegetative phase characterized by an accelerated maturation. The bush of leaves had aged too soon and so we had vines with grapes not completely changed in colour, from green to blue, and with autumnal leaves. It is something which is very positive in truth but also very rare. The acceleration in the biological processes took place in fact both in the leaves and in the grape skins. This permitted the production of wine rich in poliphenols and polymerized tannins. In other words wines with an effect of fullness, power and softness which are the distinctive traits of the great red wines. The 2010 Sangiovese grapes from Montalcino gave wonderfully young red wines and great reds destined to last one hundred years, magic that only Brunello land can do!

Type: dry red. Production area: Toscana, Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne

Vintage characteristics: In March there was a great snowfall that well hydrated the soil, and the spring was showery too, In May there were 22 rainy days. The wet soil enabled the vines to resist the heat wave in July. The changing of colour of the grapes took place in slowly in August, then the vegetative cycle quickened so the grapes were ready half way through September

Grape Type: 100% Sangiovese (Brunello)

GRAPE HARVEST: From September 20th to October 5th.…

L'articolo His royal highness the prince of Montalcino 2010 sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

I kept pondering and reflecting about this image and after a while it occurred to me how much growing up as a child in Tuscany has changed since I was young, even in the most simple little things such as this. Today there are so many video games and other distractions which encourage  children to  play insided, away from the Natural environment which surrounds them.

Before it wasn’t like that. In the Summer when I was a child I used to spent the entire afternoon with my friends collecting  pine nuts and then crushing them on the wall. As a child I was almost addicted to the consumption of these pine nuts. My grandmother was so worried about how many I ate that she made someone  cut down all the pine trees and made them take them away.…

L'articolo The Swiss people, Pine Nuts and the Mantovana cake sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.

“Traveller” UK  from the “Condé Nast” editorial group, so as if to say, the queen of tourism magazines, in the May 2011 edition has published the 10 most beautiful wineries to visit in Toscana and Umbria, ours are in third position.

A bronze medal for Donatella Cinelli Colombini wineries, surpassed only by Tenuta di Capezzana and Fonterutoli.  An unexpected but very welcomed honour which projects us among the  excellent destinations of Italian wine tourism. In our wineries the tours are different to other places. At Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda the visit includes the halls of 16th century villa with the bedroom which once belonged to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the chapel, the gardens, and obviously the winery which produces Chianti and Doc Orcia wines. The tour begins in a medieval hermitage, crosses the remains of a tower and finally rises up into the loft where the Vinsanto caratelli are stored.
At Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino  the Brunello barrels are alternated with frescoes regarding Montalcino’s

 history, and the  hall for the wine tastings exhibits the most beautiful photographs of the Val d’Orcia  from the last 10 years. For those who would like to work off some of the wine tasted , before driving once again there is a path through the Sangiovese vineyards with panoramic resting spots where works of contemporary art and quotations from famous women enrich the landscape.…

L'articolo Donatella Cinelli Colombini wineries among the 10 more fantastic winery to visit sembra essere il primo su Cinelli Colombini.