Biography
Olga Peluso, a young woman of Neapolitan origins but a resident of Tuscany by choice, founded Donna Olga, a new entrepreneurial project in Montalcino, in the year 2000. One of the most advanced female managers in her thinking in the field of wine, she runs the estate with a firm and decisive hand, seeking to develop a project which aims at the highest possible quality and excellence in the wines. Vineyard surface is 27 total acres, ten of which planted to Sangiovese Grosso for Brunello, divided between already existing vineyards and newly planted ones; the latter were planted with Sangiovese clones selected with the assistance of prestigious Italian and foreign universities. The estate’s vineyards look over the Maremma side of the hills of Montalcino, south-western in exposure, the finest in terms of the potential of the soil and micro-climate, the part of the appellation with oldest and most renowned houses of Montalcino. The fermentation and aging techniques, are carried out with the maximum respect for the centuries-old tradition of Montalcino and are the object of study and experimentation aimed at the perfect of the rapport between wine and oak. The estate cru is obviously the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, an imperious red wine of great structure, elegance, and persistence, dense and velvety in texture, and endowed with aromas which recall those of the inimitable soil in which it is born. Winemaking begins with destemming and pressing, a fermentation in stainless steel at temperatures between 82° and 86° Fahrenheit for a period of 25 days on the skins, and frequent pumping over and “rack and return” techniques to improve extraction. The malolactic fermentation takes place in 3000 liter Slavonian oak casks. The wine then ages in 3000 liter casks for 36 months and the final year of aging prescribed by appellation rules is in bottle. In the glass the Donna Olga Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, ruby red in color with garnet highlights, is intense and elegant with aromas of cherries and berry fruit, warm and soft on the palate and of superior elegance and persistence. It is a perfect match for game and cheese of a certain age. The cellars also produce an intriguing Rosso di Montalcino, with an inviting fragrance of violets and berries, silky and with much finesse.