Open Mike: Montepulciano d`Abruzzo.

Thanks for the clarification, Tim. Hopefully it will still be decent, it's not like it was a huge investment or anything so I'm curious as to how it'll turn out.

Like they say, there are no bad vintages, only bad wines.

I am once again resurrecting this thread because I had the opportunity at a tasting on Monday to try the Montepulciano derived products of two unfamiliar estates.

A Montepulciano personality is becoming clearer to me. It is solid, sometimes rich, with deep plum like, sometimes prune, fruit and good structure. At the basic level there is sometimes a touch of rusticity which, however, is frank and pleasing, to me. At a higher level it can develop considerable depth and complexity often with fruit cake notes but, like everywhere else, there can be misfires due to over-extraction and over-oaking. So far I have found the Abruzzo examples more generous and those from Marche more mineral and perhaps more elegant as befits their respective latitudes.


Velenosi from Ascoli Piceno in Marche

Montepulciano is main grape grown by this estate but, in wines of the Rosso Piceno appellation, it is associated with Sangiovese (up to 50% allowed) and in Ludi with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I think that the presenter said that in their case Montepulciano was close to 70% (the maximum authorised); a small proportion of other local grapes is also allowed in the blend. Personally I find that Montepulciano blends much better with Sangiovese than with “international” varieties, as I hope the following notes bring out in addition to my earlier underwhelmed notes on the high end blends from Le Terrazze in the Rosso Conero area.

“Il Brecciarolo” Rosso Piceno Superiore 2004 (EUR 7,53). I was attracted by this wine's lovely fresh fruity nose and generously fruity palate (plums principally) with an appealing Campari like bitter tang on the finish. 15.5/20 and excellent QPR.

“Roggio del Filare” Rosso Piceno Superiore 2003 (EUR 26). Much deeper than the previous and more intense with complex rich fruit cake aromas, a touch of prune, rich mouth-feel and powerful structure yet well balanced; 16,5/20+ and can trade equal blows with many Tuscan wines costing a lot more.

“Ludi” Super Marche 2003 (EUR 31,08). Very rich up-front fruit with a more “modern” shape on the palate; fortissimo on entry and diminuendo thereafter. Brighter but more simplistic flavour profile, I thought, than the previous with caramel notes on the finish which I do not care for; 15.5/20.

There was also a nice brightly fragrant and typically soft bodied Verdicchio dei Caselli di Jesi 2006; 15.5/20.



Citra from Ortona (Chieti)

This is a co-operative handling the grapes of 5000 members which, on this showing, achieves good quality.

“Bisanzio” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2006 (EUR 5,01) showed fruity aromas with prune notes and an ample generous palate; 14.5/20 and a good QPR.

“Palio” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005 (EUR 6,82) was definitely superior; richer, fruitier, more tangy and longer; 15.5/20 + and superb QPR.

“Caruso” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2003 (EUR 15,19) represented another ratchet upwards in richness and was more suave but perhaps less well balanced and less frank than the previous; 15.5/20.

Great Tim, good stuff as always. Might look around this afternoon to see what else is out there.

This wine was served in a restaurant at the 96th birthday party of a still remarkably spry former Belgian horse jumping champion, who has fascinating memories of high life in the 1930s and 40s including the Nazi occupation. I glimpsed the label but did not catch the wine's vintage nor its cuvée name but it was very good.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Farnese, Ortona (CH).

C: Dense with a purple tinge.
N: Burgeoning fragrant dark fruit with tobacco and meat notes.
P: Full of lively fruit with spice, leather and again tobacco notes, very mouth-filling and surprisingly structured and long with a slightly Campari like bitter note towards the finish. (I guess that this is a 2004 or 2005 basic cuvée retailing at about EUR8 - but probably 3 x that in the restaurant); 16/20+ and guessed superb QPR.

Truly in my experience Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a very dependable appellation.

Here is the Farnese website - http://www.farnesevini.it/eng/main.asp

I do not recognize the label from any of those shown on the site.