Il Drago e le 8 Colombe IGT Toscana Rosso 2019
Donatella Cinelli Colombini presents her Supertuscan Il Drago e le 8 Colombe, for the first time in organic version
2019 the harvest of the super Sangiovese, the year in which the bunches and berries of the king of Tuscany grape variety looked like Cabernet, the king of the Bordeaux vineyard.A dream of a harvest, with abundant, perfect grapes that were harvested by hand and then vinified in small vats where the must quickly took on a very intense colour.
The bunches of Sagrantino and Merlot, which also make up the blend of Il Drago e le 8 Colombe were also of the highest quality. Each grape variety was vinified separately but, to make the most of the richness of the 2019 grapes, all made a very long post fermentation maceration. For this reason the racking was postponed for a week – ten days for all types: Sangiovese, Merlot and Sagrantino.
There was also a small variation in the aging in cask compared to usual. When the wine was ready to be moved from the vats to the barrels, the Covid epidemic caused the first lockdown, forcing the cellar work to be slowed down. Too bad because precisely because of the superior quality of the vintage, the quantity of barrels purchased was greater than usual.
IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE: A WINE DEDICATED TO MEN FROM THE ALL-FEMALE WINERY
The cellars belonging to Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle, in Trequanda, where this wine is born, are the first in Italy with an entirely female staff. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is dedicated to the only male present: Carlo Gardini, husband to Donatella and creator of small, highly awarded series of Passito and Vin Santo. He is the dragon mentioned in the name of the wine and surrounded by 8 doves: the consultant Valérie Lavigne, the oenologists Barbara, Sabrina, Giada and the cellar staff, the incoming and sales staff. An oenological gynoecium that is constantly growing in number.
SUPERTUSCAN – IGT TOSCANA IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE
Il Drago e le 8 Colombe is an “author’s wine” and does not belong to any denomination. This category arises from the need to express the creativity of wine makers without subjecting them to the rules of the Doc-Docg regulations. The name Supertuscan highlights the qualitative ambitions of the wines of this type which enjoy a great international prestige. Il Drago e le 8 Colombe contains three different grape varieties: Sangiovese, which gives the wine its elegance, Merlot (20%) which adds pleasantness and Sagrantino (20%) which increases the structure. All the grapes are grown, vinified, aged in cask, bottled and refined at Fattoria del Colle in compliance with the BIO (organic) rules.
IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE TECHNICAL SHEET
TYPE: ORGANIC dry red
PRODUCTION AREA: Tuscany, Trequanda, Fattoria del Colle 400 m above the sea level with soil of neo-Quaternary origin characterized by clays and sandstones.
CLASSIFICATION: IGT Toscana Rosso BIO
VINTAGE CHARACTERISTICS: arid winter and very rainy spring that created a good supply of water in the ground. Very hot summer interrupted by only two thunderstorms on 1st July and 15th September. The two heavy rainfalls of 22nd -23rd September and 2nd October did not affect the quality of the grapes.
GRAPES: Sangiovese 60%, Merlot 20%, Sagrantino 20%
HARVEST: October 4th-7th. Sangiovese grapes were picked first and Sagrantino grapes last. The harvest was done by hand with the choosing of the clusters in the vineyard and the grapes in the cellar.
VINIFICATION: in thermoregulated steel vats. The maceration in contact with the skins was longer than usual.
AGING: 18 months in large 5-7 hl French oak barrels and tonneaux.
PRODUCTION: 17.800 bottles.
ORGANOLEPTIC ANALYSIS
COLOR: intense and brilliant ruby red. The wine manifests its robust structure through the very slow movement in the glass.
BOUQUET: complex, intense with an evident reference to red fruits which is enriched with dark and spicy notes.
TASTE: a juicy, enveloping and velvety intensity in which the evident tannins are well balanced by the alcohol and the fruit. Long and savoury finish.
THE WINE AT THE TABLE
FOOD PAIRING: Very versatile and even multi-ethnic, it goes well with classic Tuscan foods such as Florentine steak or aged pecorino but also Indian or Chinese dishes with an intense flavour, as well as aged cheeses and cold cuts.
TABLE SERVICE: wine for special occasions. Serve at room temperature (18-20 ° C) in crystal goblets with large cups.
CELLARING: 25 years and more. Keep the bottles lying down, in a dark and cold place.