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The winemaking company “Donatella Cinelli Colombini” belongs to a historic family with a centuries-old tradition; from her family, Donatella inherited two farms: one in Montalcino and the other, the Colle, a few miles north, in Trequanda, in the splendid setting of the Crete Senesi. It’s the typical landscape south-east of Siena, featuring barren, undulating hills and grey-blue gullies due to the abundant clay in the ground, among woods of oaks and cypresses.

This company is truly unique in the world as, in addition to the owner, all the employees, including the very winemakers, are all women: their joint efforts give a 100% different interpretation to the wines from Montalcino. Donatella has thus been managing the two companies since 1998 and has been able to transform them by combining technology and tradition, spearheading a new way of making and marketing wine.

On the northern side, which gently slopes towards the Orcia River, there’s “Casato Prime Donne” farm – an old farmhouse, at 1.066 ft above sea level, surrounded by 40 hectares planted with “Sangiovese”. The very wine cellar is very evocative and the rooms where Brunello wine rests are decorated with frescoes telling the story of Montalcino. A strong bond with the surrounding pristine nature is further enhanced by the use of indigenous yeasts, selected during the 2007 harvest.

The other farm stretches over 830 acres hectares on the hills overlooking Montalcino and its Brunello, Chianti and “Nobile di Montepulciano” area.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini also cultivates 395 acres of cereals, 15 acres of olive groves and 54 acres of “Sangiovese”, “Merlot”, “Traminer”, and “Foglia Tonda” grape varieties.
The latter is an ancient native grape, forgotten for over a century, recently rediscovered and enhanced.
The altitude of the Colle, 1.325 ft, means quite dramatic temperature variations between night and day, due to the proximity to the barren territory of the “Creste” – an important factor that contributes to the peculiar aromatic richness of the local wines.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)