
~ Vineyards at Fattoria del Colle ~
In a region as diverse, ancient and historical as Tuscany, it seems odd to talk about fashionable trends or new, burgeoning wine producing areas. As the late 1990’s steam rolled into the next decade, it seemed every winery in Tuscany was rushing to acquire land, plant vineyards and build sleek, modern cellars in the Maremma (Grosseto) and the Alta Maremma (Castagneto Carducci). The migration to Maremma continues but there is another region that is beginning to garner increased attention. A region with excellent soils and exposure, but one with a small scattering of tiny artisan producers who craft wine in quantities to small for mass export. That said, they represent excellent QPR and are worth the search. The region? Orcia DOC.
I’ve discussed Orcia DOC before during my Feature on Marco Capitoni and his lovely wines. Marco’s wines see very limited exportation outside of the EU but today, we’re discussing another estate that has broader international availability. Fattoria del Colle is owned by Brunello producer Donatella Cinelli Colombini and is located in Trequanda in the Orcia DOC zone.
Inherited in 1998, the farm was originally devoted to cereals, crops and grains but slowly was converted to a wine estate which has since become organically certified as of 2014. Recently, I had the opportunity to privately taste through a range of the estate’s wines with proprietor Violante Gardini and while future articles will highlight many of them, this review spotlights the one that I got most excited about.

~ Cellars at Fattoria del Colle ~
I love Vin Santo. In fact, I enjoy it so much so that I will repeat it. I love Vin Santo. Yet I can count on one hand, and have fingers leftover to spare, the number of amazing, compelling Vin Santo that I have tasted. There’s Avignonesi, who sits alone like Michael Jordan, and then there’s a gap. A large gap. On the other side of the chasm sits Capezzana and Isole e Olena at the next level and that’s essentially it. Until I tasted the subject of today’s review.
The 2006 Fattoria del Colle Vin Santo is produced from Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes using traditional, time honored methods. The grapes are harvested and then left to dry in ventilated rooms until January when they are pressed and the aged in caratelli, small oak and chestnut barrels of 50-200 hectoliters. Aging lasts at least 6 years and often closer to 10.
The 2006 is the latest version released. Golden amber in color, the nose is complex with a myriad of aromas including honey, caramel, toasted almond, brown sugar, maple syrup and orange peel. It’s drop dead gorgeous to smell. On the palate, the wine is viscous and full bodied with wonderful texture that coats the palate without being heavy or cloying. The acids and the orange zest flavors provide lift and vitality to the maple, brown sugar, almond, and caramel flavors. Sweet, lively, and intense, the finish goes on for minutes. This is the perfect end to a meal whether sipped alone or paired alongside biscotti, roasted nuts, Torta della Nonna or something similar. 96 points. Packaged in 500ml bottles. About $70. Worth it. Grab about to enjoy over Christmas. As Vin Santo is already oxidized by nature, you can store this bottle in the refrigerator for at least a month without any degradation. Though I challenge you to see if it will last that long. Salute! Find this wine.

~ Another exciting Vin Santo to consider. While not inexpensive, it’s a bargain relative to many of its contemporaries ~
Over the next few weeks, there will be more coverage coming from the Orcia DOC and from Fattoria del Colle. Stay tuned!
John,
Bravo, Bravo!!
Yes, being a property owner in the Val d’Orcia I can be accused of being bias towards Orcia wines but damn there are some wonderful Orcia wines and some very dedicated producers who take a high level of pride in their work and more than willing to meet with strangers that want to learn about their wines, their methods and their history.
Over the last month Donna and I have enjoyed wines from Capitoni, Poggio al Vento and Campontondo. These wines were enjoyed both while visting the individual producers and meeting with the owners and at home. All were wonderful (wines and people).
When you are standing in the living room of the home of the owner / winemaker of Poggio al Vento and you are looking out the window at his vineyard you realize something else. That is that you are thoroughly enjoying a glass of Sangiovese and beyond the views of the Poggio al Vento vineyard is Sant’Antimo and Castelnuovo dell’ Abate (Home of Brunello!!!). No wonder the Orcia Sangiovese taste so great.
If anyone has a chance to visit or taste wines from Capitoni, Poggio al Vento or Campontondo to please do. If you visit and taste, you will pay to ship a case (or two) back to the States. Yes the shipping is costly but when combined with the cost of the wine it is still a very reasonable price for the quality of wine.
Looking forward to more on Orcia wines.
Joe D
Joe,
I figured you’d see this article and comment. In fact, I tasted a great Orcia Rosso last night made from Sangiovese and Foglia Tonda. I’ll probably write that up next week but it was outstanding and what struck me most about it was that it was *very* reminiscent of a fine Brunello. And in fact, although it was a 2013, it was easily better than a few of the Brunello in my 2012 report.
John
When we were at Poggio al Vento, we tasted all of their wines and multiple vintages of them. We really enjoyed their 2014 and 2015 Sangiovese “01”. When I went to purchase bottles of each, Roberto said he was remiss in opening a 2010 Sangiovese “01” for us try as it is drinking very well. I said no problem, I will buy 2 bottles of the 2010 along with the 2014 and 2015 and taste at home. Well last Saturday night we opened one of the 2010s. Within 2 hours there was a text to him requesting he set aside a case of the 2010 for us. I have a cellar full of Brunellso that I enjoy but this 2010 Poggio al Vento Sangiovese was better than some and comparable to many of the Brunellos in my cellar.
Well, as I was tasting the wine I was mentioning, I was thinking of you. It also says something that you “texted” the owner. Talk about size/intimacy. One thing that I have learned attending some of the large trade tastings is that there are hundreds of great Italian wineries with no importation. If I could reliably sell these wines across the US and Canada, building a great portfolio of wine from Sicily to Sardinia would take about a week. But, at least this gives us one more reason to travel to Italy!
Loved this post, John, and now that I have recently returned from my very FIRST trip to Tuscany and the Chianti Region, I can appreciate your posts so much more. We did two fantastic wine-tastings, one in the Gaiole region at Capanelle and another at Castiglione del Bosco. Both were private tours and we absolutely loved the experience. Now we have no choice but to return to the region in 2018. Doing our research now and loving it! Keep up the great work with your blog and I will be back for some more winery inspiration soon! Kind regards, Deborah from New Jetsetters.
Deb, thanks for reading and for the kind words! Capanelle is very under the radar. I wrote an article on their wines. They make an excellent Chardonnay. Gaiole in general I think is under te radar but it’s a smaller area. Salute and thanks again.