Back in February of 2019 I spent some time in Montalcino as part of a three and a half day Anteprime di Toscana visit at Benvenuto Brunello 2019 and also with producers at their estates. The most enchanting visit and one that sent journalists, sommeliers, chefs, servers and family members back to the future was at dinner hosted by Francesco Marone Cinzano at Col d’Orcia. Verticals of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino were poured from the nines going back 50 years in time.

Related – Awash in Brunello di Montalcino

A few years back I chose Col D’orcia Brunello Di Montalcino 1997 as one of 14 Mind blowing wines of 2014. “From a golden vintage, this ’97 is crazy good. A fixed, double-edged blade fighting knife dipped into a warm pool of developed liqueur-like sweetness. Seventeen years of languorous modulation and wood-fruit integration had resulted in a gracious Brunello, intrinsically delicious and living large in senescence. Life for the Col D’orcia ’97 is a bowl of cherries. Open one now and for the next three to five years and you’ll know exactly what you’re going to get. Me, “I’ll stick with you baby for a thousand years. Nothing’s gonna touch you in these golden years.” Tasted April 2014. Strutura. Structure, ability and longevity. This is Col d’Orcia.

The Estate

History, tradition and strutura do not dig any deeper in Montalcino than at Col d’Orcia, an Orcia Valley, (Val d’Orcia) southern slope estate in the Montalcino territory. The lineage dates back to at least 1890, when records show the Franceschi family of Florence purchased the property, then known as Fattoria di Sant’Angelo in Colle. One of two brothers Stefano Franceschi inherited the property, split from Leopoldo in 1958 and then re-named it Col d’Orcia, “{hill above Orcia” after the river that runs through the property. Franceschi later married into the royal family of the future King of Spain Juan Carlos and sold the property to the Piemontese family Cinzano in 1973. At that time only a few hectares under vine and it was Count Alberto Marone Cinzano that pushed the reach up to 70 hectares by the early 1980s. Francesco continued plantings to the current number at 140 hectares, 108 of which are dedicated to Brunello production.

Cold d’Orcia’s soils are loose, skeletal and permeable, poor in clay, rich in limestone and inert materials. Fog, ice and late frosts are of little to no concern and breezes blow frequently for persistent and profitable vine health conditions. Climate is typically Mediterranean, with limited rainfalls concentrated in the months of March, April, November and December. Col d’Orcia the third largest owner of Brunello vineyards in Montalcino.

The Dinner and the wines

Chef Roberto Rossi of Il Silene.

Montalcino, 14 Febbraiao 2019

Col d’Orcia Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2009, Tuscany, Italy (Agent, $25.00, WineAlign)

So poignant for this to be poured alongside the Brunello of same vintage because we’re usually comparing Rosso to Brunello of the next and the next vintage. Both move with similar advancement though fruit in Rosso at nine years is far along the trampled path, deep into the bosco. If the aromatics have gone secondary than imagine how tertiary entrenched the palate is now. Lovely final chapter for this wine while still drinking with great charm. Drink 2019-2021.  Tasted February 2019

Col d’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2009, Tuscany, Italy (306852, $49.95, WineAlign)

Not a question of heat but clearly a matter of having taken full advantage of a vintage. Here Brunello sits compressed, of mille-feuille fruit layers intersected by spotting acidity and still important tannins. Col d’Orcia tannins specific to a place “in the middle of nowhere.” Tasted side by side with the Rosso of the same vintage the notable difference is a peppery shell, almost a still persistent reduction and clearly a kept freshness. This fruit is Col d’Orcia’s red fruit, wild in the forest and warming inside. Drink 2020-2030.  Tasted February 2019

 

Col d’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Poggio al Vento 1999, Tuscany, Italy (Agent, WineAlign)

Very youthful sangiovese, young Brunello, spritely Riserva and teenage Poggio al Vento. At 19 and a half years of age it acts like a kid, with unbridled energy and innocence. Still not in any real hurry to grow up, the pulse, energy and intensity are all plucked from barrel and left to play out in the yard. It feels as though it’s running and running. You can call it in for dinner but there’s no guarantee it will come in. Primary fruit is still a thing and food will sing along, happy to saddle up with this Montalcino cru king. Drink 2020-2033.  Tasted February 2019

Col d’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 1979, Tuscany, Italy (Agent, WineAlign)

Quiet, not just at first, but in continuum, a good thing with just a few initial hints of age. There can be immediate concern of this being 40 years-old. It’s hidden talents prevent you from knowing and of those, fineness of acidity is at the top of the heap. I’d say there was some astringency and mean streak tannin in the first ten years, or perhaps maybe more. It seems this Riserva was a beast for so long and only the last ten years have allowed it to deliver such gentility and charm. It’s amazing really and glad this bottle hung in there. It’s very special. In fact it’s still unfolding. Drink 2019-2025.  Tasted February 2019

Coniglio in porchetta farcito con pistacchi, accompagnato da spinaci saltati e sformato di cavoli

Col d’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 1989, Tuscany, Italy (Agent, WineAlign)

A huge Col d’Orcia, perhaps the biggest, broadest and most ferric I’ve ever tasted. That pool may only be 25 but this bites twice and is far from shy. It’s obviously vintage but also feels like a vintage of ambitious winemaking. The oak, oak spice, alcohol, unami and dried fruit are all fully throttled and simply add up to deliver a vibrant massive attack. Red fruit is nowhere to be found, left instead in a void filled by porcini, sanguine carne and herbal potpourri. The acidity eventually brings out more charming moments but this is really an unrelenting sangiovese. Will live 15 more years easy although there wont be the type of fruit still lingering shown by the 1979. Drink 2019-2027.  Tasted February 2019

Col d’Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 1969, Tuscany, Italy (Agent, WineAlign)

Tasted from three different bottles, the first showing TCA, the second alive and quiet, the third singing. Bottle variation is not surprising at all, especially in wines of this ilk and age. The family arrived at the estate in 1973 to find some vintages in barrel and this ’69 in concrete. Because the third sample was not just the best but the one with real personality we’ll just concentrate on it. The nose is very floral and full of toffee, toasted chestnut and burnt orange. The palate is lively, hopping really. A mild bitterness marks the finish, still pulsing with acidity though not with tannin. Great look back. Drink 2019-2020. Tasted February 2019

Good to go!

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