Patrizia Cencioni: 95 Points by Doctor Wine

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Patrizia Cencioni: 95 Points by Doctor Wine

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA 123 2020

100% sangiovese
Manual selection of the bunches, soft de-stemming, fermentation at controlled temperature, 32 days of skin contact.
Aged for 48 months in 20 Hl Slavonian oak Barrels and 7,5 hl French oak Barrels. 

Color: deep, bright ruby red with garnet reflection.
Aroma: intense bouquet with great complexity. Sour cherry, violet, blood orange, followed by spice with perceptible hints of leather and tobacco.
Flavor: well-structured and intense. Rich, elegant, with a velvety texture and great persistence.
Food Pairings: perfect match for red meats and game.

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THE WINERY:

Founded in 1989, the winery Patrizia Cencioni is now managed by three women who continue a tradition started by their grandfather, Giuseppe Cencioni, one of the founders of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino.
The estate spans about 50 hectares, including 8 dedicated to Brunello di Montalcino vineyards and 7 to olive groves. 

Patrizia, Annalisa and Arianna

Last but not least, the winery offers tours and tastings at their location at Podere Capanna, 102 – 53024 Montalcino.

Cantina Patrizia Cencioni: Solarianne
Falstaff awards for Patrizia Cencioni
Patrizia Cencioni
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patrizia-cencioni-cellar

 

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Fattoria Fibbiano, a fresh look for a timeless identity

Fattoria Fibbiano: 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲.
 
Fattoria Fibbiano presents a renewed look for its wines with a range of redesigned labels that bring a fresh, contemporary expression to the estate’s identity.
While the wines themselves remain unchanged, the new labels reinterpret Fattoria Fibbiano’s visual language, combining a modern aesthetic with the character and authenticity that define the winery. The result is a refined presentation designed to reflect the estate’s Tuscan roots while offering a distinctive and cohesive presence on the shelf.
A new look for the same wines — preserving the quality and personality of Fattoria Fibbiano, while giving the bottles a renewed identity.

The producer
Fattoria Fibbiano in the municipality of Terricciola, in the province of Pisa in the Era valley in Tuscany.
Terricciola, set in the hills between Pisa and Volterra, is part of an area which is very rich in history and traditions.

Fibbiano cellar
fattoria fibbiano

Fattoria Fibbiano is a family-run farm. The whole family has lived and worked here since 1997. Giuseppe, the father, deals with the general management of the estate and takes care of the vineyards and countryside. Matteo, the eldest of the two sons, is in charge of marketing the wines and his brother, Nicola, is the winemaker who oversees the entire wine-making process.  rich in history and traditions.

The Vineyeards
20 hectares of vineyards. Most of them are south-facing. 2.5 hectares have been planted in a north-facing direction with the aim of producing sweeter grapes in dry periods, which in recent years have become more frequent. All the red grape varieties are positioned on top of the hill while the white grape varieties have been planted on the valley floor.
The soil originates from the sea and is rich in fossil shells from the Pliocene epoch, and medium-textured corals.

The farm has always grown autochthonous grape varieties such as Sangiovese, Sangiovese Forte, Sangiovese Polveroso, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino for red wines, and Vermentino and Colombana for white wines.

The Cantoni family regard the environment as an important part of our heritage, to be protected, not as a resource to be exploited. The quality of a product is inextricably linked to the way we care for the land. The land surrounding the farm is only treated using organic fertilisers and human intervention is kept to a minimum. From the point of view of energy consumption, the agritourism is completely self-sufficient with a 30-KW photovoltaic plant, a solar plant for the production of fresh water, and central heating which uses the wood obtained from pruning the river banks and from clearing the woodland.
Fattoria Fibbiano is a certified organic farm

Sanforte: An Indigenous Tuscan Grape Reborn

Sanforte from Borgo Prunatelli, a legacy born after the storm

Twenty‑four years after the tornado of 6th of August 2002, the hills of the Val di Sieve still carry the memory of the day nature reshaped their future. What began as devastation became the unexpected beginning of one of Tuscany’s most remarkable grape rediscoveries. Hidden among damaged terraces near the hamlet of Prunatelli, a single ancient vine survived the storm — a discovery that would lead to the revival of Sanforte, now organically cultivated at Borgo Prunatelli under the care of the Grati family. The story of this native grape returns to the spotlight: a tale of resilience, heritage, and the quiet strength of a vine that refused to disappear.

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The fairytale of Sanforte Borgo Prunatelli

The fairytale of Sanforte Borgo Prunatelli….

 

 ….Sanforte, a rediscovered Native grape

The story of Sanforte Borgo Prunatelli begins in 2002, after an extraordinary event. On August 6th, a rare and violent tornado struck the Val di Sieve and the Rufina area. Just two days later, among ancient vines near the hamlet of Prunatelli, an unexpected discovery changed the future of this land.

Together with University of Florence and ampelographer Roberto Bandinelli, a centuries-old vine was identified as Sangiovese Forte, later officially renamed Sanforte. What began as a field observation evolved into over ten years of research, during which 16 original Sanforte vines were found in the Val di Sieve, confirming the grape’s deep local roots.

A first micro-vinification in 2002, using grapes from just five vines, produced a small but surprisingly expressive wine—marking the first vintage of Sanforte, even in one of the most difficult years the territory had ever known.

Modern genetic studies later proved that Sanforte is not a biotype of Sangiovese, but a completely distinct and unrelated variety. This led to its official registration in 2007 in the National Register of Grape Varieties under the name Sanforte.

From the original mother vines, a dedicated collection vineyard (Vitiarium) was created, followed by the planting of the first true Sanforte vineyard.
Today, Sanforte is grown organically at Borgo Prunatelli and vinified only in select years. After very limited productions in 2020–2022, the estate now proudly presents the 2024 vintage.

Sanforte vine discovered after the 2002 storm

Sanforte is more than a wine: it is the rebirth of an ancient, native grape – a story of resilience, research, and deep connection to the Val di Sieve.

Read here the fairytale of Sanforte Borgo Prunatelli

Kerin O’Keefe’s 2025 Top 100

Kerin O’Keefe’s 2025 Top 100: nice awards for Massolino, Paltrinieri and Patrizia Cencioni. 

Their Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda, Lambrusco Radice and Brunello Ofelio are  in the 2025 TOP 100 wines. Congratulations!

#14 of 2025:  Massolino’s Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2019 with 98 Points

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"The impressive 2019 Vigna Rionda Riserva from Massolino captivates with its combination of structure, intensity and elegance. It opens with classic Barolo aromas of red berry, wild rose, dark spice, leather and a balsamic whiff of camphor that on the composed, full-bodied palate segue into more defined sensations of crushed raspberry, cranberry, licorice and tobacco. Showing the nuance of this extraordinary vintage, it’s still youthfully austere, with a backbone of firm, fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity that lends youthful tension. This is one I’d love to try again in ten years or so. Drink 2034–2049"
Kerin O'Keefe

#61 of 2025
Patrizia Cencioni’s Brunello di Montalcino Ofelio 2021 with 96 Points

"The Patrizia Cencioni 2021 Brunello Ofelio is a stunning wine. It opens with heady scents of sandalwood, underbrush, lavender, Mediterranean scrub, new leather and cedar. Picking up where the nose leaves off, the full-bodied, focused palate delivers ripe red plum, black cherry, licorice and vanilla set against firm, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Still quite young and primary, this promises great aging potential so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2033–2046."
Kerin O'Keefe
#94 of 2025: Paltrinieri’s Lambrusco di Sorbara Radice 2024 with 94 Points
James Suckling awards Radice Lambrusco Paltrinieri
"The 2024 Radice, a benchmark wine in the denomination along with its sibling Leclisse, opens with delicately enticing aromas of small red berry, violet, lavender, citrus and wild herb. Showing great racy tension, the palate is bone-dry and savory, featuring pomegranate, cranberry, blood orange and saline notes. Made with the ancestral method of bottling the wine while still on its lees, as you get toward the bottom of the bottle, you’ll also find yeasty flavors recalling brioche. Bright acidity and a fine fizz provide energy and finesse."
Kerin O'Keefe