Donatella Cinelli Colombini : Casato Prime Donne Rosso di Montalcino 2023

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Casato Prime Donne Rosso di Montalcino 2023 from Donatella Cinelli Colombini

Tasting

Appearance

The colour reveals an intense, bright ruby-red hue.

Nose

The nose opens on an expressive bouquet of violet and ripe red fruits, accompanied by vinous notes. Subtly spicy touches, imparted by ageing in barrels, harmoniously complete this aromatic palette.

Palate

On the palate, this wine charms with its harmonious, crisp character. The tannic structure, clearly present, is smooth and perfectly integrated. The whole offers lovely savoury intensity and a persistent, particularly satisfying finish.

Food and wine pairings

This Casato Prime Donne Rosso di Montalcino 2023 is an ideal match for flavourful dishes without excessive richness. It pairs perfectly with an indulgent brunch, a platter of Italian cured meats, aged semi-hard cheeses, pasta with bold sauces, or roasted or grilled meats.

Serving and cellaring

The Casato Prime Donne Rosso di Montalcino 2023 is best enjoyed at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. Designed to be appreciated in its youth, this wine can be cellared until around 2028.

An authentic Rosso di Montalcino crafted by an exclusively female estate

The estate

Donatella Cinelli Colombini has run this Tuscan family estate since 1998, with origins dating back to 1592. Owner of two estates – Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino (40 hectares, including 17 under vine) and Fattoria del Colle in Chianti – she was the first Italian woman to head a wine estate. Her all-female team, from the vineyard to the cellar, remains unique in Italy. Specialising in Brunello di Montalcino made from Sangiovese, she combines hand-harvesting with modern technologies to express the authenticity of Montalcino’s terroir.

The vineyard

The Rosso di Montalcino comes from plots located on the northern slope of Montalcino, on the hillsides of Montosoli. The highest sites feature soils rich in clay and Pliocene sands, while the lower part reveals an alluvial character linked to deposits from the Suga stream. The Sangiovese vines, trained using the Guyot method, benefit from this outstanding terroir, which gives the wine its distinctive personality.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage proved particularly demanding for Tuscan winegrowers. A very rainy winter and spring were followed by a humid summer punctuated by storms. These challenging weather conditions, marked by downy mildew and hail, complicated the harvest. Despite a 50% reduction in yields compared with the previous year, the quality of the grapes hand-picked between 15 and 25 September proved excellent thanks to rigorous optical sorting carried out berry by berry.

Vinification and ageing

The Casato Prime Donne Rosso di Montalcino 2023 is vinified in open-top, truncated-cone stainless-steel vats, with punch-downs and temperature control. Fermentation is carried out using selected indigenous yeasts from the Casato Prime Donne estate. After alcoholic fermentation, a 20-day maceration in closed-top vats allows for gentle extraction of aromatic compounds. Ageing takes place in barriques and casks, with a higher proportion of barriques due to the traditional character of this vintage.

Grape variety

100% Sangiovese