"The thousand-year-old "abbey of good culture" has belonged to the Giuntini family, now Stucchi Prinetti, since 1846. Its name literally signifies the abbey's role in Western European cultural history as a place of worship and spiritual refuge as well as a center of learning and agricultural laboratory.
BADIA A COLTIBUONO
Tuscany
After WWII Piero Stucchi Prinetti transformed Coltibuono into a modern estate, selling instead of cellaring its best Chiantis and creating international branding for the Coltibuono name, as well as promoting Tuscan extra virgin olive oil. A devotion to Badia and a respect for itsLatium history guides the current, seventh generation family members. Their
challenge is to maintain the integrity of Sangiovese and Chianti Classi- co's unique terroir through organic farming practices, clonal diversity, restrained use of new oak and excluding nonindigenous grapes. Coltibuono's estate includes a B&B and apartments for farm holidays, a restaurant, a culinary school and is open for visits and tastings.
Vineyards and Vinification: The estate is situated on the Chianti region's highest hills. Total acreage is 2,282: 180 vineyards and 44 olive groves. After ten centuries of uninterrupted agricultural tradition, all Coltibuono's estate grapes are now organically grown, and vinified using natural yeast. The first leading wine-producing firm in Chianti to wholly return to environmental sustainability, Coltibuono is also dedicated to the preservation and vinification of Sangiovese, producing three different Chianti Classico wines and one IGT wine exclusively from Sangiovese.
Their new, architecturally arresting and technologically innovative winery has minimal environmental impact and uses gravity flow, manual grape sorting, gentle conveyance of de-stemmed fruit to the fermentation tanks, smaller size vats for separate vinifications, a piston cap punch-down system, native yeasts and mostly maturation in casks over small barrels. The estate also produces a line of "Coltibuono" wines, made from grapes selected from small growers in Tuscany."
16e
Italy » Chianti Classico
The color is bright ruby, the nose unveils layers of iris, violet, tobacco, black pepper and marasca cherry. The taste is well balanced, tightly knit
Decanter 93 Coltibuono's vineyards are in the southern reaches of the Gaiole commune, planted with a massal selection from the estate's oldest vines. Only indigenous grapes
"Intense bright ruby red, cherry and blackberry nose with cinnamon and clove nuances. Full and well-balanced, soft but tasty, with good structure. Pleasant acidity, clean
Wine Spectator 93 “Leather, cherry, spice, woodsy and iron notes highlight this red. Balanced and solidly built, in a traditional style, with a long, densely structured
Wine Spectator 93 "A ripe style, this sports cherry, raspberry, violet and mineral aromas and flavors, matched to a tensile structure, revealing fine balance and length.
Wine Advocate 91 "The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva is gorgeous, especially for a vintage that was not easy. Black cherries, mint, licorice and tobacco are supported
Robert Parker 91 "The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva shows gorgeous balance in a delicate, perfumed expression of ripe red fruit. It is a relatively subdued 2007,
James Suckling 90 "A fine and silky red with plum and chocolate character, medium body and a fresh finish. Real Chianti. Drink now." —James Suckling
Wine Advocate 89 "The 2010 Chianti Classico RS is a major step up from the straight Chiantis in this lineup. Dark red cherries, flowers, tobacco, licorice
"The overall personality of the 'Cancelli' remains the same: bright, perfumed aromatics, snappy fruit and vibrant acidity, but there is richer color, bolder fruit and
"This wine, made from selected Sangiovese vineyards, is the result of a collaboration with a small number of local producers, located in the best Chianti
"Intense bright ruby red, cherry and blackberry nose with cinnamon and clove nuances. Full and well-balanced, soft but tasty, with good structure. Pleasant acidity, clean
"Sangiovese with a small percentaìge of traditional complementary varieties Vintage notes: Spring was fairly rainy andaverage temperatures were high. A very dry andwarm Summer followed.
Wine Enthusiast 89 "Here’s a luminous Chianti Classico, offering upfront wild cherry, violet and iris aromas. The bright palate delivers red cherry and cinnamon flavor alongside
Wine Enthusiast 90 "Blue flower, woodland berries and spice lead the nose on this vibrant blend made from 80% Sangiovese and 20% Canaiolo and Colorino, all
Vintage notes "The 2013 vintage has been a longer and cooler growing season compared to recent years. The harvest lasted until late October. The wines show
James Suckling 88 "Aromas of cherries and dried berries with hints of lemon. Medium body, bright acidity and delicious fruit. Nicely done considering the difficulty of
Wine Enthusiast 93 Top 100 #93 "Forest floor, new leather, ripe, dark-skinned berry and hint of blue flower are some of the scents you'll discover on
"From Organic Grapes The Badia a Coltibuono Riserva, our most classic wine, is made exclusively from autoctonous grapes. It is loved by wine aficionados worldwide
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