Fattoria dei Barbi is an estate winery in Località Podernovi in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy. Its main wines are Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC, Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Fattoria dei Barbi also owns the Aquilaia dei Barbi estate in Scansano where it produces Maremma Toscana DOC Rosso and Morellino di Scansano DOCG red wines.

Owner: Stefano Cinelli Colombini [very busy with various projects, so risks a lack of attention to the estate]. His sister is Donatella Cinelli Colombini. Their mother was Francesca Cinelli Colombini. The Colombini family has owned land in Montalcino since 1352 (more than six centuries), and has owned La the Fattoria dei Barbi from the late 1700s. The estate’s wines have won awards since the 19th century. The family has produced Brunello since 1892 and were the first to export it to Europe, America and Asia. In 1921 they pioneered selling wine by mail order. From 1958 they pioneered opening the winery up to visitors. In 1961 they were the first to do organic trials. The estate’s flagship wine is the blue label Brunello.

Staff: Giancarlo Arrigoni.

Vineyards: The property extends over 350 hectares (865 acres) of fields and vineyards in southern Tuscany, in Montalcino, Scansano and Chianti. Very good terroir. 66ha producing 600,000 bottles (Gambero Rosso 2015, p.540). 5,000 vines per hectare.

Terroir: The terrain is ‘galestro, alberese, south-facing, at 300-500 metres’ above sea level(estate website 13 Feb 2021).

White wines

Bianco del Beato: Trebbiano, Malvasia.

Red wines

Brusco dei Barbi: Sangiovese.

Brigante dei Barbi: Sangiovese, Merlot.

Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Fattoria dei Barbi: 2011 At the consorzio with Ian d’Agata Tuesday 28th May 2013: Bright, medium intense crimson, limpid. Crisp, mint and white pepper nose, needs a strong swirl to coax out its cranberry freshness, almost alpine; firmer, richer palate, broad brush tannins overlaying crisper red fruit, tidy end, savoury rather than succulent. | 2013 70,000 bottles. | 2014 Fresh, nice bright colour, not much nose, bit tight and light and simple (Anteprima 2016). 2018 25,800 bottles.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Fattoria dei Barbi: 1966 Nice colour but the wine was D.O.A. (Les Branleurs tasting, Pickworth Fri 25th April 2014). | 1968 Drying out (Branleurs 2014). | 1969 Sweet fruit, delicate and powdery Branleurs 2014). | 1975 Liked this very much Branleurs 2014). | 2008 Minor key nose (animal), intense, concentration, some rum n’ raisin Silver at DWWA 2nd May 2013. | 2009 200,000 bottles. Slavonian oak only. Bit roasted, nice sweet fruit, bit blurred though, and muddy, has both tannin and fruit, not bad but could be better (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 14.5%. Bright ruby garnet. Sweet entry, stops a bit in the middle, where fruit and wood tannins and the fruit itself are getting bogged down. Blurred finish with green stalky notes, despite some bright sweet fruit, and a dry end. I like the weight but I am not sure the harmony is quite there yet at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 200,000 bottles. Savoury, nice weight, good length (Anteprima 2015). | 2011 Sweet, simple, OK but a bit warm (Anteprima 2016). | 2014 A good effort, softish fruit and tannins, appealing and coherent, more like a Rosso-Plus than a Brunello even if Barbi never sets out to be a blockbuster (Anteprima 2019). | 2015 149,000 bottles.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Vigna del Fiore: 1997 Bottled. | 2015 6,600 bottles.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Fattoria dei Barbi: 1957 Lovely clarity and depth on the nose, cedar, quite a hot finish, but very intense for such delicate fruit, really impressive (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1959 Orange, elegant, some VA, intense, ripe, clear, mid-garnet but the tannin is starting to dry on the palate, but the tannins are coated in fruit, so hanging in there (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1964 The first Barbi Brunello to find renown in foreign markets. Picked from 7-20th October. 16 day fermentation. Dry sherry nose, almost exotic, lovely ripe fruit; on the palate has plenty of everything, with remarkably fresh fruit, really insistent and elegant tannins, and beautiful integration of tannin, long, long finish, pinpoint, (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1966 Slightly sherried, dusty initially but also beeswax, really meaty and animal, elegant though, lovely harmonious nose with plenty of glycerol. tannins are very present, dry but not from ageing, although the finish is quite dry, but the fruit is wild, fully evolved I think, but elegant still (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1967 Bit drying, acetic (Les Branleurs 2014). | 1971 Elegant evolution, cedar and wild herb, orange and blackcurrants, very nice aroma, earthy and bloody and seemingly iron-rich too, very nice palate, dry tannins a little but very intense and still refreshing but perhaps drying a little so drink up otherwise the alcohol will take control (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1975 Picked from 1-15th Oct. 12 day fermentation. Soft vanilla and VA, sherry nose, ripe and rich, graceful and intense, glycerol starting to break out it seems; acid on the palate is a little harsh as it is breakiing away from the fruit and becoming a bit astringent and animal (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1986 Picked from 4-8 October. 13 days at 28ºC. Iron, cut grass and spinach on the nose, and may have a bit of brett or cork, as not quite clean on the nose, VA creeping in through the back door although there seems plenty of flesh in the middle even in the fruit and tannin are in something of a minor key (Barbi vertical, 19 Feb 2005). | 1996 Produced. | 2007 Cedar and balsam, and a little bit of funk but lots of chewy intensity to the fruit, autumnal flavoured berries, retains its fruit well. Silver at DWWA 2013). | 2008 6,666 bottles. Ripe black fruit in a fairly traditional style (Anteprima 2014). | 2010 Ripe. Seemed to have a touch of new oak but I was told this was not the case). A bit short (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Vigna del Fiore: 1991 Bottled. | 1993 Bottled. | 1995 Bottled.

Sweet wines

Vin Santo dei Barbi:

Contact

Fattoria dei Barbi

Loc. Podernovi, n. 170

I-53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy.

Tel+39 0577.841111 Website www.fattoriadeibarbi.it

GPS 43.0306 lat 11.5116 lon

Sales: Enotria Wine Cellars Ltd (UK)