by Tim York » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:19 am
My interest in the Montepulciano grape was only awakened some 15 months ago when a friend who runs a selective wine club enthusiastically circularized his members about his discovery of the La Valentina estate at Spoltore in the Abruzzo (not to be confused with the famous Valentini estate in the same area whose guiding spirit, Edoardo Valentini, has recently died). I tasted and bought a number of bottles. The basic MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO from 2002 and 2003 were both fine fruity quaffing wines with some depth, the first being fresher and more mineral and the second more candied and “hot”; the best testimony to these bottles is that I finished my stock some months ago. The real revelation was the more up-market MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO “SPELT” 2000; a wine with depth of fruit, complexity, savoury backbone and complexity which put it on a par with leading Chianti Classico such as Rancia but without, of course, the typically attractive acidic edge of Chianti. I have more bottles of this in 2001 as well as of the even more up-market cuvée “BINOMIO”.
Since then I have sought to widen my experience of Montepulciano and made a detour through Marche’s Rosso Conero area on my return from Rome in October. I repeat here my notes after visiting Antonio Terni’s Le Terrazze estate. I repeat here my notes on the visit.
“FATTORIA LE TERRAZZE at Numana
ROSSO CONERO 2004. Montepulciano (I was prevented from adding “d’Abruzzo” by my host). An attractively fruity and savoury wine with good structure and full of character. Very good.
ROSSO CONERO SASSI NERI 2003. Montepulciano. Much more depth, tannic structure and complexity than previous and still managing to keep good freshness in spite of the torrid year. Should benefit from more time
CHAOS 2003 (50% Montepulciano, 25% Merlot, 25% Syrah) and PLANET WAVES 2002 (75% Montepulciano, 25% Merlot). I am sorry but I cannot separate my recollections of these. Similarly to Siepi, they were both smoother and fatter than the wine from the indigenous grape. In face of Gambero Rosso’s three glasses and suspected 90+points elsewhere, dare I say that Merlot and, in the case of Chaos, Syrah have dummed down the wines? Anyway I took away one bottle of each, as well as several bottles of both Rosso Coneros, and should be able to arrive at a fairer assessment with food.
The Le Cave Chardonnay and the olive oil were both sold out. Overall the impression here is of classy wines with a smooth patina which probably attenuates to some extent their local character. On this showing I share the view that the Montepulciano grape is capable is making top class and characterful wine in the Conero region as well as in Abruzzo as I know from La Valentina and Masciarelli. For comparative purpose I purchased bottles of the top cuvées of Umani Ronchi and Moroder from Enoteca Azzura.”
Later in the autumn I attended two tastings offered by major importers of Italian wine into Benelux and at one made a beeline to the table of Masciarelli from Abruzzo. I repeat the relevant extract of the notes which I posted on this tasting.
“I liked the basic MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2004 (EUR 11), nice dark fruit with some leather notes. The greater depth and complexity of the MARINA CVETIC MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2003 (EUR 19) was immediately noticeable but I was bothered by the malt notes on the after-taste, but much less than with the two whites. ROSSO APRUTINE 2003 is a new addition to the estate’s portfolio (I cannot find this name in any reference books); it displayed deep plum fruit, slightly brooding with good balance but a malt after-taste. VILLA GEMMA MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2000 (EUR 51) showed even more depth with dark fruit and cherry aromas, a rich fruit cake notes and good length; fine and close to its peak, I think. My favourite was MARINA CVETIC MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2001 (EUR 19) which showed depth of fruit with great freshness, mineral and leather notes, good structure and that savoury tang which I often find in great Tuscan wines; fine with further development potential, I think.”
I had a second opportunity to taste the Masciarelli basic 2004 and the Marina Cvetic 2003 with another importer and confirmed my impression of the former and liked better the latter finding the malt notes less obtrusive and the wine attractive with marked candied notes ("confit") but less racy and classy than my memory of the 2001. I took the opportunity of purchasing a few bottles of both as well as of Marina Cvetic 2001.
Meanwhile, since Bob mooted this grape as a subject for an Open Mike, I have opened a bottle of Le Terrazze’s basic ROSSO CONERO 2004 with a dinner of assorted ravioli, some truffle stuffed, with tomato sauce on the side. Here is my note made in more auspicious conditions than at the estate.
“N: slightly creamy dark fruit then red fruit coming up and making more complex the dark plum and prune notes. P: Fruity and refreshing with more-ish acidity and minerality and some depth and length. A deliciously refreshing glugging wine and excellent with the food. I could have made inroads into a second bottle. Much better QPR, too, than an entry level Chianti Classico (between 5 and 10 EUR compared with 10 to 15 EUR). “
In the next few days I hope to report on Le Terrazze’s ROSSO CONERO “SASSI NERI” 2003 and/or Masciarelli’s MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO “MARINA CVETIC” 2003 drunk with food. Both Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Rosso Conero are now very much on my radar screen and I hope to deepen by knowledge in the coming months.
Tim York
