WTN: Some interesting Montepulciano (d'Abruzzo)

My interest in the Montepulciano grape is now thoroughly aroused so I sought out more examples at a tasting yesterday.


AZIENDA AGRICOLA BARBA from Roseto degli Abruzzi – TE

MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO “Vignafranca” 2001(EUR 19,50 discounted to EUR 10) is a round, flavoursome and fruity wine with good length but perhaps hints over-ripe orange aromas which presage decline.


AZIENDA AGRICOLA MASCIARELLI from San Martino Sulla Marrucina – Chieti

M d’A “MARINA CVETIC” 2003 (EUR 22,70) is even better than I remember from a November tasting; very ripe and spicy with the overt malt notes, which troubled me then, now integrated.

M d’A “VILLA GEMMA” 2001 (EUR 62) is outstanding showing a deep complex N and a rich, profound and long P with the same fruit cake notes but more grip and subtlety than the 2000 which I tasted in November.

TREBBIANO D’ABRUZZO “VILLA GEMMA” 2005 (EUR 15,30). Not Montepulciano, of course, but showing generous tropical fruit, coconut hints and good fresh acidity and mineral notes. Not spoiled by excessive wood like the two “Marina Cvetic” whites which http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/dri ... 11,00.html I tasted in Novemeber.


FATTORIA LA VALENTINA from Spoltore – Pescara

M d’A “BINOMIO” 2000 (EUR 35,50). This bottle was disappointing. The 2001 which I opened and noted a few months ago was a brooding, unready monster on steroids but showed promise. This 2000 achieved the contradictory feat of seeming both aromatically closed on the N and richly over-ripe, oily and somewhat disjointed on the P. It also suffered greatly from following directly the outstanding Villa Gemma. I am not sure how far this curious performance was due to the bottle’s having been open since the previous day.

M’A “SPELT” 2000. (Consumed with dinner at home a few days ago). Absolutely delicious and far more harmonious than either of its big brother Binomios which I have tried. Warm spicy and fruity aromas, full deep and complex fruit and body, good length with slight oily hints and an almost Chianti tang . All my family loved it and, indeed, preferred it to the elegant and more classically discreet Castello di Ama Chianti Classico 1997 which followed; I begged to differ but concur that the Spelt was outstanding.


AZIENDA AGRICOLA SERENELLI from Ancona (sometimes called the Quintarelli of Marche)

ROSSO CONERO “VARANO” RISERVA 1998 (EUR 40,70 discounted to EUR 10)

Deep concentrated fruit with structure and quite marked acidity; showing signs of drying out. The salesman said that it was being discounted because its future is considered limited. I found in the archive an enthusiastic note a few years old about this wine from David of Switzerland; he forecast then good ageing ability. We shall see.


As my experience of Montepulciano develops, I am beginning to doubt whether wines made from it are suitable for great ageing. The 2000s and 2001s are either drinking very well or, in two cases, showing signs of going over the top as was the 1998. The only M’A 2001 which was manifestly unready a few months ago was Binomio was La Valentina. Has anyone got a different view?

Tim, thanks for posting your notes. I've had limited exposure to the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo but what little I've had has definitely piqued my interest. My favorite everyday drinking wine is the 2003 Masciarelli; it's the only wine I've ever purchased by the case, as I find that it goes so well with a variety of foods.

From what I have tasted, I'd have to agree that there doesn't seem to be much ageing potential.

I'm actually traveling to Abruzzo for a week in August, so it'll be fun to taste some of the "homegrown organic" wine from the farm where we'll be staying. I'll definitely post notes.

And thanks for the notes on the Trebbiano...I've never had any whites from the region.

I don't have much experience with Montepulciano. Most of those that I have tried have been lighter, simplier wines that I appreciate with a simple meal. However, over the weekend we opened the 2001 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo San Calisto and I have to say that I now truly understand the term Parkerized. The wine was not bad, in fact it was a very good match for the fresh linguine with pork ragu. The problem was that it was not what I have come to know as Montepulciano. The wine was still young and much extracted. It took over 90 minutes for the nose that I have come to know as Montepulciano to appear and for some of the character of the grape to emerge. Maybe decanting this wine for a few hours prior would have changed my preception as it seemed to be showing more at the end but as it was it seemed to be a freakishly overblown cartoon image of what I have come to expect from this grape/region.

Bummer, Brian.

Fortunately, Gianni Masciarelli has not yet succumbed. The Marina Cvetic is still great. (There's a Marina Cvetic chardonnay, too)

Re Parkerized

I guess that wines from the Montepulciano grape have traditionally been cheap but often good quaffers for the local market. They are in recent years searching for an identity at the high end of the market (unlike, say, Barolo which already had a traditional high end identity which some are now changing).

I agree that the most successful high end examples which I have so far met are Masciarelli's 01 Marina Cvetic and Villa Gemma, both already very fine wines, and la Valentina's 00 Spelt is also excellent. (Incidentally I am so far much less keen on the white Marina Cvetic cuvées, which I have sampled.)

The Valle Reale San Calisto 01 sounds in the same muscle bound body-building "vin de garde" mode as La Valentina's Binomio 01 which I reviewed in the Open Mike on this grape. I am cautiously hopeful that, in a couple of years or so, Binomio will relax and start to sing gracefully; but I see that, in another thread, Otto hated it, "oaky and creamy". The friend who found me Binomio (and Spelt) says that the 1999 is now drinking beautifully. We shall see how the 01 gets on.

Have you got more San Calisto to see how that develops?

Have you got more San Calisto to see how that develops?

No but I got the bottle from a large chain of wine stores that was still listing it in their catelog a few months back. I may be able to pick up a couple more if I can just find time to get into the city.