The highly respected 2018 vintage of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello di Montalcino is back at the LCBO for a limited time, as part of this Saturday’s LCBO VINTAGES’ release.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini left her family’s estate in 1998 to start her own, made up of Casato in Montalcino, and Fattoria del Colle in Trequanda. Along with the vineyards and with the farmhouses to be renovated, Donatella received a quantity of Brunello di Montalcino, and so she needed a cellar master to see to its barrel-ageing. She called the Enology School in Siena, asking for a good student to hire. They answered that they had none; cellar masters had to be booked years in advance. They mentioned, however, that they had many female cellar masters available, since no important winery wanted to employ them.
Donatella didn’t just hire a woman cellar master for the project. The entire staff are women, including the head winemaker, and Donatella has become a beacon for women in the wine industry, not only in Italy, but globally. She is pictured above with her daughter, Violante, who oversees international sales.
Read below for more details about this new release, along with the LCBO link to purchase.
Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino 2018
From the organic Casato Prime Donne property, this Brunello comes from vineyards on the cooler northern side, around 225 m altitude, on soils rich in clay and silt. The native fermentation takes place in small stainless and bare concrete, after which it rests in older tonneaux and big barrels for at least 2 years, followed by a period of at least 6 months in bottles. Crushed cherry and cassis is imbued with mint, shaved tobacco, and cedar up front, with black cocoa and long, grippy, sticky tannins framing a velveteen palate. There is a natural lifted acidity to carry this structural Brunello to the finish.
“A lovely, advanced very savoury, spicy Brunello from Donatella in 2018, quite open and ready to go on the nose, also on the palate, already into a very sapid and umami-rich zone, with ripe, comfortable tannins and acids coated in abundant fruit extract. The length and overall depth, and indeed complexity, are impressive; this wine should give immense pleasure from now over the next decade or so. Really enjoying the harmony and balance here. Tasted November 2022.” 94 points, John Szabo MS, Wine Align
Read more about Donatella Cinelli Colombini here.
Appellation : DOCG Brunello di Montalcino
Region : Toscana
Country : Italy
Grape(s) : Sangiovese
Price : $73.95
LCBO : 113357
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Cheers,
Le Sommelier
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bernard@lesommelier.com
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