Opening to a dark color and rich concentration, the Donatella Cinelli Colombini 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne (with 6,600 bottles made) shows a lot of fun character. I want to say that the wine is more modern or contemporary in style, but that's not really true. Yes, there's more fruity richness here, but the bouquet is also very vertical in intensity, lifted and bright. There's a fine spot of sweet cheery and tart apple skin. There is no heaviness. The fruit comes from a six-hectare site at a low 225 meters above sea level with medium-rich soils and lots of clay. That richness that I described evidently comes from the site, more than it does the cellar. If you enjoy a softer side to Brunello, you should seek the welcoming comfort of Prime Donne.
A complex array of crushed blackberries, cloves, nutmeg and cigar smoke on the nose here. It's full-bodied with firm, intense tannins. Cedar and ripe brambleberries follow through to dark chocolate on the finish. Very complex. Best ever? Drink after 2025.
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Prime Donne from Donatella Cinelli Colombini trades power for undeniable elegance. A vivid display of crushed black cherries, clove, nutmeg, and cedar shavings creates an alluring bouquet with an autumnal feel. It’s velvety-smooth but also cool-toned and lifted, seeming to hover across the palete while showing a compact yet polished core of ripe dark fruits, wrapped in a web of saline-minerals, brisk acids and tannins. Seamless until the very end, the 2016 Prime Donne flexes its structural muscle while leaving haunting remnants of licorice, lavender and dried blackberries. It’s a showstopper.
A bright beam of black cherry is the main aromatic thrust in this red, with flavors of blackberry, tobacco and tar. This has some punch, building to a long finish, where the dusty tannins reign. Best from 2024 through 2042. 550 cases made, 200 cases imported.
Violet, underbrush, ripe berry and camphor aromas waft out of the glass on this focused red. It's elegantly structured, featuring juicy morello cherry, cranberry and licorice before a coffee-bean finish. Tightly woven, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity keeps it energized. Drink 2024–2036.
Technical Details
BlendSangiovese
CountryItaly
RegionTuscany
AppellationMontalcino
Aging/Cooperage2 years in 5-7 hectolitre French oak casks then transferred into 15-40 hectolitre barrels
Alcohol14.5%
Shop All Wines Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello Prime Donne 2016
Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello Prime Donne 2016
Sangiovese Blends | Italy
WA96, JS96, VN95, WS94, WE93
New
$117.00
$74.95 | 750mL
SOLD OUT
35% off retail!
Too late, we are SOLD OUT!
Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s family has passed down the Casato estate from mother to daughter since 1592. Donatella took on the estate in the late 90s and hasn’t looked back. The perfect 2016 vintage and a return to tradition have made this Prime Donne their greatest release yet! 96 points at a best-in-the-states price that is over $40 below retail… get yours quickly!
Truly, only about 10 cases of this beauty, so don’t delay! This is a beautiful and elegant Brunello, grown on a northern slope of the hills of Montalcino. The northern exposure results in an unbelievably low yield of just over 5.5 tons per hectare (for reference, Napa averages about that per acre, which would mean about 13 tons/hectare)! The low yields and exceptionally long time on the vine in 2016 (a full 15 days longer than average) made for a ripe, concentrated, yet definitively feminine style of Brunello. Some years back, Donatella was appalled that all the Italian wine critics and all the wine guides were men, so she made the choice to have an all-female staff at the estate in response… and intentionally aims her wine’s style in a feminine direction.
The wine is elegant and deeply structured, but almost vertical in flavors – black cherries, dried cherries, and kirsch dominate the flavor profile, with complementary notes of dark chocolate, roasted herbs, and cigar box notes. This is unmistakably full-bodied and dense, yet there is no feeling of heaviness, the wine effortlessly coasts across the palate and finishes with a long, seductive whisper. This is purity personified and just a treat to sip!
For the Prime Donne, 2016 marked a return to tradition – with the hand-harvested grapes fermented in traditional concrete tanks. No regular-sized barrels (barriques) either, opting instead for larger 5 and 7 hl tonneaus for two years, before blending and settling in 15-40 hl tanks, followed by time back into concrete vats before bottling. This is a brand-new release and a phenomenal example of a top Brunello producer in one of the region's greatest vintages ever. Did we mention $42 OFF the retail and best in the U.S. pricing (by a good bit, too…)!? Get some before it is gone!
About the Producer
Donatella was born into a family of Brunello di Montalcino producers and it only made sense to open her own estate. In 1998, she founded her own estate called Fattoria del Colle and Casato Prime Donne, one is the estate for guests to stay, and the other is the winery where they produce some fantastic Brunello's. Donatella has won many prestigious awards due to continuous hard work and continuous determination to create a dream that combines wine and tourism. In 2003, Donatella was awarded the Oscar Bibenda Prize for wine producers, and then in 2012, she received the International Vinitaly Award. She was elected as National Vice President of "Donne del Vino," then-President in 2016, and the President of the Consortium of Orcia wines. The estate comprises 40 hectares and the vintners are all women, which is a unique situation in Italy. Donatella appreciates the Brunellos that were made by her grandfather and has continued his style to today. Her wines are elegant, fresh with a strong territorial imprint as well as the ability to be cellared for a long time.
