“Colto” Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2020

Castello Romitorio | Tuscany
Soc. Agr. Castello Romitorio srl. | Loc. Romitorio 279 I IT 53024 Montalcino

29652120 · 0,75 l · 58,65 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

Some wines are created out of calculation, others out of passion. This one bears the signature of an artist. In 1984, Sandro Chia, co-founder of Transavanguardia and one of the most influential painters of the late 20th century, acquired the dilapidated Castello Romitorio above Montalcino. The foundations date back to Roman times, the walls were a temple, fortress and monastery – a place where history is physically tangible. Chia turned it into his studio and winery, convinced that art and wine come from the same source. "Colto" – the educated, the cultivated – is his latest project: a Rosso di Montalcino that explores the boundaries of the denomination. Only 6,000 bottles are produced from young, vigorous vines in the north-west of Montalcino, where marl and clay soils with fossilised inclusions bear witness to a prehistoric seabed. Vinification is not rushed: six months in wood, six months in cement, six months in the bottle – eighteen months of ageing, which puts many a Brunello to shame.

Bright, vibrant ruby red in the glass. The bouquet opens with raspberries and dried violets, spiced orange peel and a hint of smoke. The palate reveals the elegance that Chia also seeks in his art: nothing loud, nothing pleasing, instead precision and tension. A salty minerality carries the fruit, the tannin is fine-grained, the finish long and dynamic. A Rosso that proves that greatness does not depend on the label. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright ruby red colour. Very pure and concentrated on the nose, with juicy sour cherry fruit. Smooth, long, fresh and expressive." Jancis Robinson

"Here is a new submission from Castello Romitorio with 6,600 bottles released. The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino Colto is a true Sangiovese with a lean, tart texture and lots of wild berry flavours. These flavours fade into forest floor, cola and rosemary twigs." Wine Advocate

"This red wine is ripe and dense, with a fleshy texture and grainy tannins supporting flavours of cherry, plum, iron, earth and tobacco. Stays fresh and persistent through the lingering aftertaste." Wine Spectator

"The Rosso di Montalcino Colto 2020 is spicy and strongly perfumed. It shows raspberries, dried violets, spiced orange peel and a hint of smoke. The 2020 Rosso di Montalcino Colto washes over the palate with undeniable elegance, contrasting a savoury note with vibrant ripe fruit and a hint of acidic citrus that flashes towards the finish. It leaves a hint of blue and violet-coloured flowers and a residue of acidity that retains a wonderful freshness. The 2020 is very balanced and conveys both opulence and seriousness. The Colto is a selection from all of Romitorio's vineyards, including a 10-hectare plot of experimental clones from across Tuscany that is now 14 years old." Vinous

"A delicious, soft and balanced Rosso with aromas and flavours of dark cherries and plums. Notes of dried flowers and spicy oak are also recognisable. Almost full-bodied with very silky, well-integrated tannins that give the wine a plump, almost chalky texture. Long finish with fruit-soaked minerals. Very well made. Only 6,000 bottles produced." James Suckling