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Wino Wannabe discovers
Montepulciano d´Abruzzo
Although Italy's Abruzzo region
is not currently attracting the attention of the pundits nor claiming the space
it deserves in Wine Spectator, I'm
betting that it's going to be the next "big thing" in Italian wine. Abruzzo wines have the powerful terroir flavors that are currently being rediscovered as
part of the trend toward the appreciation of the unique character of Italian
regional wines.
Abruzzo
is one of Italy's political regions equivalent to one of the US's individual
states. It is located "behind the
knee" of Italy along the Adriatic sea just East of Rome. Because of the large area of mountainous terrain, including the highest
points of the Central Apennine mountain range, Spanning the length of
Abruzzo, [the Apennines contain the Gran Sasso massif, which features Italy's
highest peak--Corno Grande], Abruzzo has been fairly isolated from
the rest of Italy for centuries. This physical isolation has preserved most of
the traditions, cuisine, and handicrafts of the locals.
Cultivation of the vine and
production of wine have very ancient origins in Abruzzo and it is likely that
it was the Etruscans who introduced vineyards to this region. Greeks were
probably the first ones to praise its qualities and soon after, they were
followed by the Romans. When the Medici family
lost their hold in Abruzzo in the mid 18th century they left behind a well
organized production structure for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano
d'Abruzzo, along with the Tuscan wine, Sangiovese. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is now one of central Italy's most popular red table wines. Abruzzo has the highest number of
wineries per capita of any region in Italy. The Abruzzo wine district has 89,000 acres of
vineyards and 160 wineries, of which 130 bottle their own wines. Total annual sales
volume comes to around 250 million euros. The hub of the industry is the
province of Chieti, which turns out over 80 percent of the region's wine. It is
also home to 30 of the 40 cooperatives which operate in Abruzzo and that
collectively handle more than 75 percent of the regional production.
Trebbiano
and Montepulciano dominate in the vineyards. French cultivars such as
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are present in small quantities and
also do well. A certain amount of Sangiovese is grown, and there are also a
couple of interesting minor white varieties, Passerina and Pecorino, but there
are no signs of any of these varieties supplanting Trebbiano and Montepulciano
in the near future.
More than half of the total
vineyard area of the region is planted to Montepulciano. Trebbiano accounts for roughly 25 percent of
plantings in the region. Montepulciano
grows well in this dry, hilly region of east central Italy adjacent to the
Adriatic Sea. The great strength of Montepulciano is its versatility. It is
deliciously fresh and "grapey" to drink young (after 8-10 months in
vat), but it also ages effortlessly, evolving and gaining complexity in the
bottle for 10 years or more. The highly sought after oak-aged riservas (which,
under modern management, are increasingly being matured in French oak barrels)
have aromas of black cherry and wood fruits with light notes of spicy oak. The
palate has great mouth feel with a slightly tannic structure, intensive flavors
and a distinct note of licorice in the finish. Considered a good value for its unhindered, robust,
utilitarian qualities, the "Capestrano" brand, produced by Peperoncino, Inc., is
a very affordable, and quite good, rendition of the traditional wine. With a rather
raw and enticing ripeness of fresh grape must, earthy loam and mahogany scents,
it lures drinkers to a surprisingly lush and sophisticated core of spicy and
brusque dry plum and granular tannins. Unpretentious origins allow a glimpse of
one of Italy's more localized wine traditions. Although most
wines made from Montepulciano are destined for bulk and local table wine
production, there is an ever increasing number of winemakers producing quality
versions.
As
Chef Porter and I sat on the curb and evaluated the current Peperoncino
offering, Capestrano Montepulciano d'Abruzzo '05 tells you it is not a cheap
red wine right from the nose. Very forward, attractive aromas of spice, black
raspberry, plum and sweet earth seem to jump out of the glass and give you a
good preview of what's going to hit your palate. In the mouth, this Montepulciano
is jammy (a lot of rich, ripe, jam-like flavors) upfront, with a smooth
texture, and is balanced out nicely by good acidity and mild tannins. Some
spice notes and earthy hints round out the ripe black raspberry finish, which
is balanced and enjoyable. And, no
wonder! Guess who the winemaker
is? My old friend from years ago, Lorenzo
Landi! Yes, that kid who first
introduced me to the wines of Abruzzo is now, after twenty five years, one of
the most influential winemakers in all of Italy. He works as the consulting enologist for 8>10 of the most
innovative new wineries across Italy, helping shed the old brew-it, bottle-it,
& barf-it mindset of the
1970's and begin to make truly great wines.  Lorenzo uses high plant density, modern growing techniques
and low yields per acre to produce accessible wines which have a depth and
structure not often found in this price range. The winery of Peperoncino, Inc.
was born from the collaboration between Luigi Cataldi Madonna [third generation
owner of his family's original winery in Ofena], Angelo Sansone and the
oenologist Vittorio Festa. Lorenzo
Landi has been retained from the very beginning, to guide Peperoncino toward
great wines. The brand name Capestrano aims at marketing the best production from
the vineyard cooperatives of Abruzzo, which select their fruit from the coastal
flanks of the DOC. Price point mentality is at the heart of the company: pure unadulterated
fruit spoken with freshness and depth is the shining result. The wine shows a deep ruby red color
and nuances of ruby red, little transparency. The nose reveals intense, clean
and pleasing aromas of black cherry, blueberry, plum, carob and violet followed
by pleasing aromas of walnut-husk. In the mouth, it has good correspondence to
the nose, good balance, agreeable tannins, good body and intense flavors. The
finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry and plum. The 2005 version is 13.5% alcohol, is
aged two years and is marketed abroad, mostly in the US, Great Britton, and
Australia, with about 80% of the production sold locally in Italy. In 2005, 12,500 cases were produced. By DOC rules, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
wine must contain at least 85% Montepulciano grapes, with the other 15% made up
of red-wine grapes of the vintner's choice (as long as they are grown within
the DOC area). In the case of
Capestrano, the wine is pure Montepulciano.
Virtually all of the Montepulciano
grown in the whole world are grown in Abruzzo and the neighbouring Marche district
in Italy. However, as you might
guess, several California wineries are producing a few bottles; Marietta
Cellars, Monte Volpe, Domenico
Wines, and Bella Piazza Winery are a few. Their wines sell in the $25>$35 retail range but are not very
noteworthy.
It sort of makes me sad to think
of all the good times Lorenzo and I had back in the old days, and realize that
I can never reclaim that lost youth. But it is good to know that 'Ol Lorenzo has made such a name for
himself. Plus, I did get a half
bottle of his wine out of the deal. It is not a "great wine", but then, it was never intended to be. It is, however, one of the best values
on the Tapino wine list. And, it
is a great introduction to a varietal wine that will, I guarantee, become very
popular over the next few years.
Salude'
The Willing Wino
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