Terroir & Ancient Winemaking

Tucked away off the Torronieri Road the small Cerbaiona estate has been home to Diego and Nora Molinari since 1977, who produced their first vintage in 1980, all 70 bottles of it! The estate comprises 3 hectares of vines and 12 ha of wood and olive grove; half planted to Brunello, the rest to Sant’Antimo and IGT Toscana (using Cabernet Sauvignon, Malvasia Nera, Merlot and Syrah). Production is limited to 8,000 bottles.

Lying on the north-eastern shoulder of the Montalcino commune the estate enjoys a fine eastern exposition at 390 metres elevation, with good aeration & galestro/alberese clay soils. This imbues the wines with a naturally good acidity. Diego does not use herbicides, pesticides or fungicides on his vines. This hands-off approach is reflected in their tiny winery, which is bolted onto the back of the 16th century property. A wooden press is preferred, followed by gentle vinification in cement & ageing/invecchiamento in 20hl slavonian botte.

Jacques D’Angerville’s non-interventionist winemaking, learned from his father, allowed these fine terroirs to be fully expressed. As he told Allen Meadows, “I want to do as little as possible to the wine. I want low yields and no signature.” After complete destemming, fermentation lasted 10 to 12 days, with a 12 to 18-month élévage in largely used barrels. To extract fine tannins, the cap was kept moist by twice-daily pump overs. Such methods not only broughtout the crus’ inherent nobility; they created wines of perfect balance and great aging ability.

Though amazingly consistent, his wines shone brightest in top years. Vintages like 1990, 1996, 1999 and 2002 brought an extra dimension of expressiveness, leading to some of the greatest wines of Jacques’ career.

Viña del Olivo’s capacity for aging was fully demonstrated in October, 2019, when The Rare Wine Co. hosted a unprecedented dinner at Alta in New York City. CUNE’s Victor Urrutia not only blessed us with his presence, he provided very rare older vintages of Olivo.

We were in the presence of greatness that night. The oldest Olivo vintage, 1996, reaffirmed what Luis Gutiérrez has written, calling it “a superlative wine, round and harmonious … well structured and savory … extremely long, full and complex.”

Perhaps even greater was the penultimate wine in the tasting, the legendary 2001. This was the vintage that pioneering American writer on Spanish wine, Gerry Dawes, once called “undoubtedly the greatest red wine I have tasted in the so-called modern era of Spanish winemaking.”
Other stunning vintages that night were the 2017, 2016, 2010, 2007 and 2004.

CUNE releases Viña del Olivo early in its third year, as its collectors are eager get it in their cellars, to allow it to begin its long evolution. Such an early release is unusual for a Rioja of its stature, but the wine quickly disappears from the market, especially in Spain. As Gutiérrez notes, each new release “sells like hot cakes.”

Among Rioja connoisseurs Contino is, today, a firmly established icon. All of its wines are hard to find in the United States, but it’s especially so with Viña del Olivo. Fortunately, The Rare Wine Co. has direct access to all the Contino wines, including Olivo, and can offer not only the current release but also older vintages from our library.