Sangiovese Tag

Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2019 by Donatella 

Rosso di Montalcino BIO (organic) from a 5-star harvest produced with artisan care at Casato Prime Donne, first Italian winery with an all-female staff

 

Rosso-di-Montalcino-2019-Casato-Prime-Donne-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini

Rosso-di-Montalcino-2019-Casato-Prime-Donne-Donatella-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

Sangiovese 2019 harvest 4 days later - Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne-Tuscany

Sangiovese 2019 harvest 4 days later – Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne-Tuscany

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. Very few vines have the extraordinary versatility of Sangiovese in producing excellent young wines and refined bottles to be cellared

But to obtain the two types of wine it is essential to harvest the grapes by hand by dividing the vineyards, according to maturation, into small areas, to be harvested, vinified and aged in barrels separately. An impressive job and a great attention to detail, but it’s worth it, the result is amazing.

 

IOsonoDonatella Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015

The Brunello that Donatella Cinelli Colombini gifted herself when she realized that her dream of creating a winery and a wine established in the wine world

 

IOsonoDobatella-2015-Brunello-di-Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne

IOsonoDobatella-2015-Brunello-di-Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne

Donatella Cinelli Colombini tells of how she climbed her mountain leaving the comfort of a family of established Brunello producers to create an estate of her own <<in 1998 my parents gave me two properties to renovate in Tuscany, but at the beginning there were no cellars and the vineyards were to be replanted. My small team asked me “if someone calls what must we say” and I replied “you say that we are Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s estates >> a starting point that took her far.

At that time she had many doubts because she remembered her grandfather Giovanni Colombini’s advice <<never give your name to a company because when it is sold it is like giving your identity away>>.

 

DONATELLA GRANDE DAME OF BRUNELLO BUT ALSO PASSIONATE AND VISIONARY

But Donatella wanted to make it and doubts turned into opportunities because already in 2010 she was able to harvest a great Brunello and six years later she was invited to present the Riserva version, at the most exclusive tasting in the world, the New York Wine Experience.

Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne-Ardita-Vineyard-Sangiovese

Montalcino-Casato-Prime-Donne-Ardita-Vineyard-Sangiovese

A dream come true and that had to be celebrated by transforming the recommendation of her grandfather into a proud statement “IOsonoDonatella” the “pasionaria”, the visionary one who focuses on women, the revolutionary one who opens the Italian cellars to tourists the Grand Dame of Brunello as Vinum has recently called her <<so this is the wine that talks about me>>.

A very small series is born with only her first name on the packaging that tells her past as an art historian and expert in medieval gold-smithing. On the glass bottle there is in fact a glitter shape that forms a ring with her gold logo in the centre as if it were a Gothic seal.
So far 4 vintages of Brunello IOsonoDonatella have been produced: 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 because only the best harvests are used for  these small selections of 600 or 1.300 bottles intended for an audience of enthusiasts looking for rare and high quality wines.

 

TOP WINE FOR THANKSGIVING 2021

October offer: 6 bottles of Brunello 2015 Riserva five star vintage. A great wine with which to celebrate autumn with friends and with the Thanksgiving roast turkey

 

Offer-Brunello-Riserva-2015-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-with-wineskin

Offer-Brunello-Riserva-2015-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-with-wineskin

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

Brunello-riserva-2015-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini

Brunello-riserva-2015-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini

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

2021 grape harvest collage

Obsessive care in the choice of Sangiovese grapes: here is how the 2021 harvest is giving us small absolute excellences of Brunello apt for very long ageing

 

2021-Grape-Harvest-Tuscany-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-Brunello

2021-Grape-Harvest-Tuscany-Donatella-Cinelli-Colombini-Brunello

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.

2021-Grape-Harvest-Tuscany-Sangiovese-Casato-Prime-Donne-Montalcino

2021-Grape-Harvest-Tuscany-Sangiovese-Casato-Prime-Donne-Montalcino

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. Visually it will be like the “house of the seven dwarfs” with many pot-bellied dwarfs. Something very different from the beautiful fermentation rooms in the past, with containers all the same size.

The “collage harvest” is very slow and very accurate <<to pick the grapes in this way it takes twice as long>> grumbles the head of the vineyards Efisio Luche struggling with the lack of staff that characterizes 2021.

 

BRUNELLO 2021 HARVEST

<<So you tell me that from June to now there have been only two rainfalls for a total of 31 mm of water I believe it, but the vineyard does not seem to have suffered thirst, because it is very well>> said our oenologist consultant Valérie Lavigne arriving on September 21 in the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and ordering us to suspend the harvest of the Brunello grapes for a week. According to her, the quality of the 2021 grapes is higher than that of previous years and this has given us enthusiasm once again.

In Montalcino we are generally the first to pick while this year we will be the last. A choice that depends on the distance of about 20 days between the budding of the first buds and that of the last caused by a cold spell. The frost at the beginning of April is the main reason for the only major problem with the 2021 harvest: the scarcity of grapes. The secondary reason is the dry climate that has led to small bunches and berries.  In the end there are few bunches and they have little juice so the yield in wine is below average.

 

In the grapes there is a beautiful high acidity almost all tartaric and this will give us very vertical and structured wines to the delight of lovers of Brunello for long aging. In fact, when the ripening phase lengthens in a period with cold nights, as has happened this year, we have Brunello of extraordinary aromatic richness and able to defy time. During the harvest the daytime temperature was close to 29 ° C, while at night it fell by 15°C.

 

Offer: preview five-star Chianti Superiore DOCG 2019

Our loyal wine lovers will be the first to drink the Chianti Superiore DOCG 2019 BIO 5-star harvest. At home with professional corkscrew and vacuum stopper

 

Offer-Chianti-Superiore-DOCG-2019-BIO-12-bottles-Donatella-Cinelli Colombini

Offer-Chianti-Superiore-DOCG-2019-BIO-12-bottles-Donatella-Cinelli Colombini

The 2019 harvest was extraordinary for Sangiovese in Tuscany. Small bunches, small berries and perfect ripening. The strong temperature range of September 2019  determined the characteristic element of the wines from this vintage which is the richness of the aromas.

To be among the first to taste the 2019 Chianti Superiore vintage will allow you to appreciate and make your friends appreciate, a small masterpiece. It is a great young wine and at the same time it is easy to drink and accompany with any dish: from the Florentine steak cooked on the grill to a brunch with cold cuts and cheeses but even with Asian dishes. In fact, the great value of Chianti is to be extraordinarily easy to match and maintain its pleasantness with all foods except with absolutely inappropriate things such as ice cream.

But we are sure that you will not do anything like that.

Indeed, to facilitate the service on the table we combine the bottles with a professional corkscrew and a vacuum stopper (it works as a plunger just put it on the bottle without a cap, raise and lower the upper part until it becomes hard) to extract the air from the half full bottles and then finish the Chianti Superiore the next day and maybe discover that you like it even more.

Chianti Superiore is a type of Chianti of a higher level: the grapes come from vineyards that are not very productive and of this wine is requested a “superior” level as the name indicates.   What we propose comes from the vineyards at Fattoria del Colle, that was built by the ancestors of the current owner, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, in 1592.

 

OFFER FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

Offer-Chianti-2019-12-bottles-Donatella-Cinelli Colombini

Offer-Chianti-2019-12-bottles-Donatella-Cinelli Colombini

12 bottles of Chianti Superiore DOCG BIO (organic) 2019 + a professional corkscrew and a vacuum closure: Euro 119 (instead of Euro 156)
For those who wish to double the order buying 24 bottles the price is even more convenient
Euro 233 (instead of Euro 312)
Free shipping in Italy, 15 Euro discount on shipping abroad.

 

Five-star organic Chianti Superiore 2019

Organic Chianti Superiore from a 5-star harvest. A family wine: born from the vineyards and cellars at Fattoria del Colle

 

Chianti-Superiore-2019-BIO-Fattoria-del-Colle

Chianti-Superiore-2019-BIO-Fattoria-del-Colle

This estate was built in 1592 by the ancestors of the current owner Donatella Cinelli Colombini who in twenty years has restored it to its former glory. Its altitude, of 404 meters on the sea, with cool nights, allows a slow and gradual maturation of the grapes. The farm is located in the south of Tuscany on a land of neo-quaternary age with sea sands and clays. The vineyards are on top of the hills in positions well exposed to the sun with excellent ventilation.

 

CHIANTI SUPERIORE 2019 BIO FROM FATTORIA DEL COLLE

Chianti Superiore is a higher level type of Chianti: the grapes come from low yield vineyards and the wine is required to be of  “superior” level as the name indicates.

2019-harvest-at-Fattoria-del-Colle

2019-Harvest-at-Fattoria-del-Colle

The climate was particularly favourable in 2019. The very rainy spring, especially in April and May hydrated the soil allowing the vines to well withstand the heat of summer .There were only two major storms (1 July and 15 September) for a total of almost 200 mm of water. They were the magic touch needed for a masterpiece harvest. The 2019 grapes were perfect with very small, healthy bunches and berries, ripened in a very balanced way.

The strong thermal excursion of September 2019 determined the characteristic element of the wines of this vintage, that is the richness of the aromas.

 

2019 A MASTERPIECE OF A HARVEST WITH GREAT AROMAS

TYPE: dry red.
PRODUCTION AREA: Tuscany, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle
VINTAGE CHARACTERS: Dry winter, very rainy April and May, hot summer interrupted by two thunderstorms. September with sunny days and almost cold nights that allowed a gradual maturation of the grapes and an extraordinary synthesis of the aromas.
VARIETAL: Sangiovese with small additions of grapes authorized in Tuscany.
HARVEST: manual harvesting with selection of clusters in the vineyard to pick only the grapes with the same level of ripening. This involved repeated passages in the same vineyards and allowed to vinify the entire production separately and optimally. In the cellar a further selection of grapes (mechanical and manual) was carried out on the sorting table.
VINIFICATION: healthy and ripe bunches. Very small calibre berries. Perfectly lignified grape seeds. Excellent Ph and extractable polyphenol content. Vinification was regular: 10 days of alcoholic fermentation followed by 15 days of maceration in contact with grape skins.
QUANTITY PRODUCED: 45.000 bottles.

 

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2018 CLUB OFFER

6 bottles of Rosso di Montalcino the young DOC wine born from the same Sangiovese vineyards Brunello but that wants to be consumed sooner

 

Rosso-di-Montalcino-bio/organic-DOC-2018-club-offer

Rosso-di-Montalcino-bio/organic-DOC-2018-club-offer

The Rosso di Montalcino BIO (organic) that we are proposing to you is from the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini in the excellent 2018 harvest, rated 4 stars.
This is an important wine destined only to restaurants and demanding wine lovers. It is a refined organic family wine.
6 bottles of DOC Rosso di Montalcino will arrive directly at your home together with a professional corkscrew and a vacuum stopper that will perfectly preserve the wine still in the bottle after opening, till the next day.

 

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO SPECIAL PRICE FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

6 bottle case of Rosso di Montalcino BIO (organic) 2018 + professional corkscrew + vacuum closure:
Euro 127 (instead of Euro 154)
For those who wish to double the order buying 12 bottles the price is even more convenient
Euro 229 (instead of Euro 288)
Free shipping in Italy, 15 euro discount on shipping abroad

 

PRICE FOR THOSE NOT YET MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

6 bottle case of Rosso di Montalcino BIO (organic) 2018 + professional corkscrew +vacuum closure:
Euro 136 (instead of Euro 154)
For those who wish to double the order buying 12 bottles there is an ulterior advantage
Euro 256 (instead of Euro 288)
Free shipping in Italy, 15 euro discount on shipping abroad

 

Sangiovese grapes grown in Montalcino have something special and almost magical: they produce satisfying, harmonious and velvety wines while young, who, in the most structured types, become Brunello and are able to age for many years.

Very few terroir in the world manage to produce excellent young wines and great fine wines for aging with only one grape, but Montalcino has this wonderful ability with its Sangiovese.

Rosso-di-Montalcino-DOC-2018-with-professional-corkscrew-and-vacuum-closure

Rosso-di-Montalcino-DOC-2018-with-professional-corkscrew-and-vacuum-closure

The Rosso by Montalcino by Donatella Cinelli Colombini stands out for its elegance and harmony.  It was born in the vineyards at Casato Prime Donne, the first Italian winery with an all-female staff. The winery is on the northern slope of Montalcino, the coolest side, with clayey soil that allows a slow and regular ripening of the grapes. The winery is open to the public and awaits you to be charmed with itinerant wine tastings that combine wine and music.

 

ROSA DI TETTO IGT Toscana Rosato 2019

Rosé wines are extremely trendy in the new millennium. The appreciation of the consumers increases and with it the request for wines richer in personality, finesse and quality

 

Rosa di Tetto 2019 IGT Toscana - Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Rosa di Tetto 2019 IGT Toscana – Donatella Cinelli Colombini

A project that at Fattoria del Colle, begins with the Sangiovese grapes and its specificities such as the particular aroma of violets, that in the Rosa di Tetto, blends with that of apples and cherries.
The BIO (organic) vineyards are cultivated by hand with obsessive care; the grapes are picked by hand, vinified, and refined under the observant eyes of the three estate winemakers, Barbara, Sabrina and Giada. These give origin to some small series of “family wines” wines made on the estate. In this case it is a production of only 2.000 bottles, real jewels destined to wine loving clients.
At Fattoria del Colle the production of rosé began more than 30 years ago with the name “Aqua di Tetto”. When Donatella Cinelli Colombini received the farm form her father Fausto Cinelli in 1998, she decided to change it into Rosa di Tetto and to put on the label the flowers from the old climbing rose that covers the facade of the 16th century villa.

Rosa di Tetto 2019 IGT Toscana - Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Rosa di Tetto 2019 IGT Toscana – Donatella Cinelli Colombini

The 2019 harvest quality wise has been considered one of the best in the last 50 years. It was abundant and with grapes never seen before. For this reason it was decided to begin with this vintage a change of style for the Rosa di Tetto, aiming at a type of rosé that is more complex, important and structured and where the Sangiovese imprint is very evident. A wine to drink “with the whole meal”.

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROSA DI TETTO IGT 2019

TYPE: rosé
PRODUCTION AREA: Tuscany, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle, Cenerentola vineyard.
CLASSIFICATION: IGT Toscana Rosato
VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS: mild and dry Winter. In the Summer the hot days were interrupted by great storms, there where vast temperature excursions between day and night, and this favoured the synthesis of the aromas.

3 Brunello from 5 star vintages for celebrations and collections

A treasure chest with three bottles of Brunello from the best vintages for your collection 1997, 2007 and 2012 together with a set of Riedel glasses apt for tasting them

 

Brunello di Montalcino from 5 star vintages offer: 1997, 2007, 2012 together with 6 Riedel crystal glasses

Brunello di Montalcino from 5 star vintages offer: 1997, 2007, 2012 together with 6 Riedel crystal glasses

Three TOP vintages, nearly legendary ones, for those who love Brunello and want to have some bottles for special occasions:

1997: like many great vintages it didn’t start well; there was a spring frost that reduced the number and dimension of the clusters;

2007: a year without winter and with a cool summer that produced a deep Brunello, apt for long cellaring;

2012: a hot year with a perfect September for the ripening of the grapes.

 

Wines that have been highly rated by the international wine critics and able to surprise and thrill. These will arrive at your home in a wooden crate apt to be cellared, together with 6 Riedel Performance glasses so as to taste them in a perfect way.

 

 

OFFER FOR MEMBERS OF DONATELLA’S CLUB

3 bottles wooden crate containing:

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 1997,  Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2007 and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012 + 6 Riedel Performance crystal glasses

SPECIAL PRICE FOR MEMBERS: 339 Euro (instead of 399 Euro) offer valid until April 2nd, 2021

Brunello di Montalcino from 5 star vintages offer: 1997, 2007, 2012 together with 6 Riedel crystal glasses

Brunello di Montalcino from 5 star vintages offer: 1997, 2007, 2012 together with 6 Riedel crystal glasses

For those who wish to double the offer, so two times a 3 bottles crate with 12 glasses, the price is even more convenient: 660 Euro

The price includes shipping in Italy, and a 15€ discount for those abroad.

 

OFFER FOR ALL OTHER WINE LOVERS

3 bottles wooden crate containing:

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 1997, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2007 and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012 + 6 Riedel Performance crystal glasses

SPECIAL PRICE: 369 Euro (instead of 399 Euro) offer valid until April 2nd, 2021

The price includes shipping in Italy, and a 15€ discount for those abroad.

 

Would you like to become a member of Donatella’s Club?

Write to vino@cinellicolombini.it to access the personalised customer service!

 

Being members of the Club gives you the possibility of receiving special offers like preview wines or older vintages at advantageous prices and a special welcoming in the wineries at Casato Prime Donne and Fattoria del Colle, in the ToscanaLovers stores in Siena, Bagno Vignoni and Cortona, in the restaurants and in the country inn belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini.

 

Il Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT Supertuscan 2018

A scarce vintage in quantity but with great quality, 2018 gifts us Il Drago e le 8 Colombe – Supertuscan in a “20th century style”, with great aromatic richness

 

Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 - Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 – Donatella Cinelli Colombini

In the vineyards 2018, began by showing the effects of a spring frost the previous year: the clusters were few and small, right from the beginning. An element that on the other hand seemed to be negative instead permitted the grapes to happily survive a very rainy month of May and a summer that alternated heat and big storms. A climate that resembled that of last century, with more clouds than sunshine. The September sunshine was decisive for the quality of the grapes: the size of each grape was smaller and the ripening took place slowly, simultaneously in the skins and in the pulp of the grapes –technological and poliphenolic ripening. Temperatures in the period before the harvest rendered the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 its distinctive catachrestic: fine, complex and deep aromas.

Finally a small but significant detail, against all weather forecasts, the rain arrived the day after the harvest ended. This is not a small detail, because, interpreting the “20th century style” harvests the best grapes, like those for the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, were picked for last. A stroke of luck that when drinking this Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is clearly noticeable.

 

THE NAME IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE

The Il Drago e le 8 Colombe comes from the first all female staffed winery in Italy: our consultant Valérie Lavigne, the wine makers Barbara Sabrina and Giada, the hospitality and sales staff are all women. There are 8 doves, mentioned in the name together with a dragon, the only man present: Carlo Gardini, husband to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, the owner. He too expresses his passion for fine wines by following the procedures for producing small selections of sweet wines.

Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 - Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe 2018 – Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is also born to celebrate men in wine.

 

IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE 2018

This is a “Supertuscan” wine, a “masterpiece” of a wine IGT Toscana, where the varieties are used following creativity and not tradition. In the Il Drago e le 8 Colombe there is a union of, at the end of their ageing, three different varieties: Sangiovese prince of Tuscany that gives the wine elegance, Merlot (20%) that adds pleasantness and then Sagrantino (20%) that increases the structure. All the grapes are grown, vinified, aged in barrel, bottles and refined on the estate.

 

CLUB OFFER: Brunello Prime Donne 2016 in wooden crate

6 bottles of the highly rated Brunello Prime Donne 2016 delivered directly to your home in the exclusive wooden crate and the possibility of tasting it with Donatella Cinelli Colombini

 

Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne 2016 and online wine tasting

 

Donatella and Violante Cinelli Colombini will taste the Brunello Prime Donne 2016 online. It will be an exclusive event reserved to those who choose this offer.  The date will be sent out as soon as the wine will have arrived to your home and it will take place during the weekend.

 

The Brunello Prime Donne 2016 went on sale on January 1st 2021 and so this is practically a preview. Some of the major wine critics have tasted it, so we have their enthusiastic ratings for you.

 

 

 

 

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO PRIME DONNE 2016 RATINGS

  • Robert Parker/Wine Advocate: 96
  • Vinous Antonio Galloni: 95
  • James Suckling: 96

 

We must look at red wine with more attention

Red wine reveals many of its secrets upon visual inspection: alcohol content, consistency, freshness, age … are all evident to the naked eye before reaching the nose or mouth

 

visual inspection of wine: colour

visual inspection of wine: colour

by Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Each of us during the Sommelier courses listened to the instructions regarding the visual inspection of the wine with a certain condescending air.

Do not deny it; it has happened to all of us.

To begin with it is the aroma and tastes that attract attention because they are a rediscovery of the senses, that for the past century we have all used very little. Our lifestyle and the structure of our brain privilege sight, while the use of the nose and tongue has progressively been reduced to a simple “I like it” or “I don’t like it”. The Sommelier course is often a way to rediscover aromas and tastes because slowly they become understandable messages.

 

SWIRLING THE WINE IN THE GLASS

For this reason the visual analysis is often underestimated whereas listening to people such as the World Champion Sommelier Luca Martini, it is easy to understand how important this is in understanding a wine. His first suggestion is to <<look at how the wine moves in the glass>> the slowness is typical in rich wines while the watery ones with no substance are much faster. Generally filtering worsens the situation.
The legs left on the inside of the glass once the wine has swirled tell us a lot especially the way they descend. More alcoholic components there are (ethanol, glycerol) closer together the legs will be.

 

Brunello di Montalcino 2016 from Casato Prime Donne

2016 is a vintage like a marathon runner. Born form a very long vegetative cycle of the vines, Brunello 2016 has deep and exiting aromas, in the mouth it is silky and powerful. Apt for long cellaring

 

Montalcino - Casato Prime Donne - Brunello 2016

Montalcino – Casato Prime Donne – Brunello 2016

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. The yeast too, that set off the fermentation, was authentically form Montalcino and has been selected at Casato Prime Donne through experimentation lasting seven years.
The return to tradition from long ago has coincided with a picking of the grapes based on a separation of the clusters according to their level of ripening. These are chosen one by one, by hand, in the vineyard as the old farmers used to do. A system that slows the harvesting times but allows the vinification of grapes that are all with the same character and later, the ageing in barrel or tonneaux most apt for the future Brunello. A “tailor made”  job done by master craftspeople who create works of art in a bottle.

 

Brunello Prime Donne 2016 in preview

2016 was the vintage of deep red wines.  Brunello Prime Donne by Donatella Cinelli Colombini expresses her philosophy of a return to the origins of this designation

 

Montalcino: fermentation room of Brunello at Casato Prime Donne

Montalcino: fermentation room of Brunello at Casato Prime Donne

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 18th) 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 2016 Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Brunello Prime Donne 2016 Donatella Cinelli Colombini

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. The decisions regarding the selection, the ageing and the blending among various barrels, involve a panel of 4 female international super wine tasters: a wine store owner, a sommelier, and two Masters of wine: Astrid Schwarz, Daniela Scrobogna, Rosemary George MW with now the addition of the Swedish Madeleine Stenwreth MW.

FOR DONATELLA’S CLUB MEMBERS the extraordinary Brunello IOsonoDonatella

For the first time we are proposing to our Club of wine lovers the Brunello 2013 ultra premium, IOsonoDonatella, a signature edition of only 1000 bottles with the crest in gold and display box 

 

Offerta Io sono Donatella

Brunello Io Sono Donatella 2013

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.

 

                                                                       
Cinelli Colombini
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