2016 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Orcia Cenerentola
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Cenerentola is darkly alluring and spicy, showing ripe strawberries, plums, ginger, clove and hints of cocoa powder. It’s silky with broad textures, energized by brisk acidity, as tart wild berries cascade across a mineral core, adding tactile grip toward the close. This finishes long, as fine grippy tannins tug at the palate, along with tart red fruits and a bitter twang of sour citrus. The Cenerentola is an exciting wine to taste, as it contains 35% Foglia Tonda, a native grape of the region which almost went extinct, with Sangiovese as the balance of the wine. The 2016 isn’t quite ready to reveal all of its charms, yet another year or two of cellaring should result in something very special.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Orcia Cenerentola is indeed a "Cinderella" in this group of wines from the up-and-coming Orcia appellation in Tuscany. The wine is made with Sangiovese blended with the little-known Foglia Tonda grape that was almost completely abandoned because it has a difficult time ripening (especially back when dropping fruit was not a common practice). Less than 20 hectares of Foglia Tonda exist in southern Tuscany today. This is a compact, lean-bodied red with bright intensity and aromas of forest berry or wild cherry. The wine offers a unique point of sourness or bitterness that livens up the palate and would pair next to pasta with cream or butter sauce. This is a tight and streamlined wine that hits the palate in direct and immediate fashion.