Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino - Italy’s first entirely female team!

Casato Prime Donne is the heart of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s winemaking world—a historic estate just outside Montalcino that stands as both a symbol of heritage and a statement of innovation. Once part of her family’s holdings, it became Donatella’s own in 1998 when she founded her independent project dedicated to Brunello di Montalcino. What makes Casato Prime Donne truly exceptional is not only its deep connection to Montalcino’s traditions but its entirely female team, the first of its kind in Italy. Every stage of production—from vineyard work to cellar management—is guided by women, embodying a philosophy of precision, care, and respect for the land. The estate’s sixteen hectares of organically farmed Sangiovese vineyards lie on the northern slopes of Montalcino at around 225 meters above sea level, a cooler area that yields Brunello of finesse and structure rather than raw power. Vinification takes place in conical cement vats using native yeasts, and the wines are aged for over two years in large oak barrels and tonneaux, balancing purity of fruit with graceful evolution. Casato Prime Donne’s Brunello is admired for its elegance and authenticity—an expression of Sangiovese that mirrors Donatella’s own values: tradition with vision, sensitivity over showmanship, and a deep belief that wine, like humanity, flourishes when given patience, understanding, and purpose.

At Casato Prime Donne, the soul of the estate lies in the hands of the women who craft its wines—a small, devoted team whose work has come to define both the philosophy and the identity of Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s Brunello. When Donatella founded the estate in 1998, she made a radical choice: to entrust the entire winemaking process to women in a region long dominated by men. At the time, it was a necessity as much as a conviction—young women were graduating from Italy’s top enology schools with high marks but were struggling to find opportunities in established wineries. Donatella decided to change that. The Casato Prime Donne became not only a wine estate but a pioneering model for chance, giving these women a place to prove their skill and vision.

The team includes winemaker Barbara Magnani, who has been with Donatella for over two decades. Magnani oversees the vineyards and cellar work with an approach defined by intuition and restraint—seeking balance rather than extraction, purity rather than opulence. Her touch is felt in every detail, from the selection of native yeasts to the choice of oak barrels, producing Brunello that is both powerful and feminine, with fine tannins and a deeply aromatic core. Working alongside her is Valérie Lavigne, a renowned French enologist and consultant from Bordeaux, whose expertise in oxygen management and aromatic precision has helped refine the estate’s style even further. Lavigne’s scientific precision complements Magnani’s instinctive feel for the land, giving the wines a structure that allows them to age gracefully while maintaining their freshness.

Their combined influence has shaped a style of Brunello that stands apart—elegant, transparent, and soulful. The women of Casato Prime Donne emphasize manual vineyard work, organic practices, and gentle vinification, resulting in wines that express the authenticity of the Sangiovese grape and the quiet strength of those who craft it. Even the estate’s flagship wine, Brunello di Montalcino “Prime Donne”, is selected by an all-female panel of tasters, including sommeliers, journalists, and sensory experts from around the world. Each year, they blind-taste barrel samples to choose the most expressive lots, reinforcing the estate’s philosophy that sensitivity and collaboration lead to deeper understanding. In every bottle, you can sense the harmony between intellect and emotion, science and tradition—a uniquely feminine interpretation of Brunello that mirrors Donatella’s vision: wine not as power, but as grace, continuity, and the human touch.

The Donatella Cinelli Colombini “Prime Donne” Brunello di Montalcino 2020 is the estate’s signature expression, crafted entirely by the women of Casato Prime Donne and chosen through blind tastings by an international all-female panel. It is made exclusively from 100% Sangiovese Grosso, grown on the estate’s organically farmed vineyards in the cooler northern slopes of Montalcino, where the altitude and steady breezes yield grapes of great finesse and aromatic precision. The fruit is harvested by hand and vinified using native yeasts in small, conical cement vats, allowing for a slow and natural fermentation that preserves the grape’s purity and texture. The wine is then aged for two and a half years in a mix of 5–7 hl French oak tonneaux and larger Slavonian oak casks, followed by extended bottle aging in the estate’s quiet cellar before release. The 2020 vintage reflects the calm precision of its makers: it opens with lifted aromas of wild cherry, rose petal, and crushed herbs, unfolding on the palate with silky tannins, layers of red plum, balsamic spice, and a lingering mineral edge. Refined, elegant, and quietly confident, it captures the essence of Sangiovese and the grace of the women who give it voice.

Special Price $124.99

The Donatella Cinelli Colombini Casato Prime Donne Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019 is an extraordinary statement from Casato Prime Donne, born of a vintage that the estate itself describes as “nato per sfidare il tempo” (born to challenge time). From organically certified vines on the cool northeastern slopes of Montalcino, the grapes were handpicked on 3 October, selected at bunch and berry level. Fermentation occurred in conical open-top cement vats, with carefully controlled temperatures and extended skin contact (the maceration lasted an additional 10 days compared to the norm) to harness the naturally high polyphenol potential of the small-berried, thick-skinned 2019 fruit. Aging followed in large Slavonian oak casks (1520 hl) and French tonneaux (57 hl) made by artisan coopers with wood seasoned two years plus. The result is a wine of muscular grace, showing the DNA of Sangiovese from Montalcino but honed with feminine precision and patience.

It is deep ruby garnet in the glass, the nose opens with intense layers of wild cherry, tar, tobacco leaf, black pepper and exotic spice. On the palate it unfolds with polished but firm tannins, generous yet restrained fruit of plum and dark cherry, undercut by an iron-mineral streak and late-night forest floor nuances. Balanced acidity gives the wine lift and drive; the finish is long, savory, and resonant. It’s a Brunello Riserva built for the long haul—cellar it now, decant after 1215 years, but expect it to evolve gracefully for 30 + years.

Special Price $149.99

The Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2015 (the 2025 recently released in a special three-pack in OWC) is a bold celebration of both vintage and vision from the women-led team at Casato Prime Donne. The wine is crafted from 100 % Sangiovese grown in the prized “Ardita” vineyard—a high-density planting (5,500 vines/ha) established in 2001, positioned above the estate with a commanding view of Montalcino and managed with meticulous handlabour. After harvest, the grapes undergo vinification in large conical barecement vats using native yeasts, followed by extended maceration (approximately 15 days on skins) and then aging in a blend of large Slavonian oak casks and 5–7 hl French oak tonneaux, without filtration. The 2015 vintage itself is widely regarded as a fivestar year in Montalcino — abundant sun, dramatic diurnal shifts late summer, yields reduced for concentration — producing wines with exceptional harmony, richness of aroma and silken tannins.

As for the tasting note: the 2015 Riserva opens with a deep ruby-garnet hue and exhales layered aromas of cherry and dark plum, cocoa dust, leather, dried rose petal and forest floor undergrowth. On the palate it reveals a powerful yet graceful structure: beautifully ripe fruit, finely woven tannins that are wide but polished, bright acidity giving lift, and a mineral-tinged finish that seems to linger for a full minute. It offers both immediacy and long-term potential—poised for cellar evolution over the next 20 – 30 years.

Special Price $479.99 for 3 bottle pack in OWC – Only 5 packs available

*All the wines above are on US soil and available early in December