2018 | Donatella Cinelli Colombini | Il Drago e le Otto Colombe

Ripe and dark fruited, with blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, plum blossoms on a full palate, structured taut with the soils and acidity, taking this to a humming, stony, spiced finish.

Reviews:

• James Suckling: This is a punchy, flavorful red with lots of spicy fruit and earthy tones. Full-bodied with fine tannins that offer little resistance to the onslaught of spicy fruit.

• Vinous: Sweetly perfumed and seductive, the 2018 Il Drago e le Otto Colombe lifts up with sugar-dusted black cherries, complemented by nuances of sage, cedar spice box and exotic florals. It’s soft and fleshy in feel, with a core of stimulating acidity and saline-minerals that add a more tactile feel, as tart red berries cascade across the palate. This tapers off long yet grippy, as fine tannins tug at the senses, leaving nuances of plum and a hint of bitter chocolate to linger. The “Dragon and the eight doves” is a unique blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 20% Sagrantino. Those Sagrantino tannins are currently driving the expression and will require a bit of time to resolve.

Producer Information

Donatella Cinelli Colombini is an Italian wine producer based in Tuscany. It boasts a wine portfolio of Brunellos and was the first winery in the country to be run entirely by women. There are two estates in the region – Casato Prime Donne in Montalcino and Fattoria del Colle located between Chianti and Orcia. The Casato Prime Donne has 16 hectares (39.5 acres) planted entirely to Sangiovese of which is the source for the flagship of the portfolio, the I Am Donatella Brunello di Montalcino. This wine spends three years barrel-aging in French oak prior to six months in concrete egg to softly integrate oxygen prior to bottling. The second estate, Fattoria del Colle, has 17ha (42 acres) of vines near the Val d'Orcia. The red wine portfolio here includes a Chianti Superiore, and two Orcia DOC wines, Leone Rosso and Cenerentola. Leone Rosso combines Sangiovese with Merlot, while Cenerentola is made of Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda, a local variety that was largely abandoned elsewhere in the early 20th Century.

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