2015 Col d'Orcia Cabernet Sant'Antimo Olmaia

"One of our favorites in Montalcino is Col d’Orcia. Apart from making superb wines, the owner, count Francesco Marone Cinzano, is passionate about biodiversity and fighting climate change." ~Forbes

One of the original estates of Montalcino and now the largest certified organic estate in Tuscany, Col d’Orcia is a leader in Brunello di Montalcino. The estate is known for helping to define and promote one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions. Tradition, integrity, and sustainability are the pillars of the estate, whose classic style wines are celebrated all over the world. Proudly defined as an ‘organic island,’ Col d’Orcia is committed to maintaining the natural environment in which it operates and has, for many years, employed organic farming practices.Decanter said this winery is ""reliable, consistent, and satisfying."

The estate is known for helping to define and promote one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions. Tradition, integrity, and sustainability are the pillars of the estate, whose classic-style wines are celebrated all over the world. Proudly defined as an ‘organic island,’ Col d’Orcia is committed to maintaining the natural environment in which it operates and has, for many years, employed organic farming practices.

The estate’s name translates to “the hill overlooking the Orcia River,” as its position lies in the undulating hills between the Orcia River and Sant’Angelo in Colle. Here, the southern orientation provides vines with abundant exposure to sunshine. The vineyard soils are comprised of limestone and marl which facilitates natural irrigation. Located at about 1500 feet above sea level, the estate is favorably positioned against Mount Amiata (5,700 feet) which helps shield the property from floods and hail. The climate is typically the Mediterranean, with limited rainfall coming in from the Tyrrhenian coast, 21 miles away.

This Olmaia Super Tuscan is an ode to Count Alberto Marone Cinzano, who planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the region of Montalcino.

2015 was an outstanding year for this region. Wine Spectator blessed this vintage with a 97-point review, stating that the wines are "Ripe and opulent, with plenty of fruit and flesh covering the solid structure; best show fine balance for aging."

Aging: 18 months in French oak barrels. 

100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Smart and elegant, with typical notes of ripe pepper and blackberries, perfectly balanced with the spicy vanilla notes from the oak. Full bodied, meaty, and well structured, culminating in a long, elegant finish.

The purity of the cherry and berry fruit in this red is impressive, as are the dense, dusty tannins providing backbone. This is fresh too, with supporting flavors of flowers, leather, iron and tree bark, showing excellent length. Best from 2023 through 2038. 1,300 cases made, 300 cases imported. ~94 Wine Spectator

Blackberries, currants, sage and mint waft up from the young yet totally seductive 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Olmaia. It’s elegant and polished in feel, with a burst of ripe dark fruits which are quickly firmed up by fine yet saturating tannins. The opulence found within is seductive, and all is kept in check by its heroic structure, coming across as youthfully cheek-puckering with hints of licorice and minerals. I wish I had hours to stay with this glass, because there’s still so much going on beneath the surface. The 2015 is simply stunning, with over a decade of positive maturation in store for patient collectors. Best after 2025. ~94 Vinous Media

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the unsung grapes of Montalcino, and because this appellation is whole-heartedly focused on Sangiovese, we only get rare opportunities to taste the French grape. The Col d'Orcia 2015 Sant'Antimo Cabernet Olmaia is a beautiful wine and one that has enthusiastically embraced the deep warmth and golden sunlight of the vintage.You taste those hot-vintage characteristics in the fullness, richness and softness of the fruit on display here. This is no doubt the best vintage I have thus far tasted of Olmaia, and the wine has evidently found new confidence in this 2015 expression. Black fruit aromas cede to richer tones of spice and dark chocolate with very subtle hints of candied cherry or baked blackberry. This wine was bottled in March 2018 and will be released in April 2020. Some 13,600 bottles were made. ~93+ Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Lots of ripe fruit with currants, black chocolate and plums on the nose and palate. Full body, ripe tannins and a flavorful finish. It’s tannic, polished and tight. From organically grown grapes. Give it two or three years of bottle age. Try after 2022. ~93 James Suckling

Concentrated ruby red. Deep notes of pepper, ripe red fruits and berries, accompanied by tertiary hints of sweet spices, damp earth, mushrooms and leather. Full-bodied, intense and well-structured taste, with a distinct tannic and balsamic accent on the finish.~92 Falstaff

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