This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Fattoria Nicodemi
Terrana Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2018
The 2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Terrana is a darker and moodier expression, as fresh coffee grinds give way to brown spice, then peppery herbs and finally crushed raspberries. It’s soft and pliant in the mouth, with cooling acids and minerals, as tart wild berry fruits and hints of fine tannin create a more tactile feel toward the close. This tapers off dry and youthfully poised with a hint of licorice lingering long. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Emidio Pepe
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2012
The 2012 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vecchie Vigne is smoky, meaty and packed full of dark fruit intensity. Notes of black currant, wild brush herbs, white pepper and tobacco can be found from start to finish. It’s soft upon entry and almost fragile in feel, with a tactile mix of nervous acidity and grippy young tannins that keep the expression achingly youthful. There are depths of tart woodland berries and savory spices fighting to surface from beneath the 2012’s hulking structure, yet only time will tell if they’ll ever succeed, as today, this is all elbows and knees. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Torre dei Beati
Giocheremo Con i Fiori Abruzzo Pecorino 2019
The 2019 Pecorino Giocheremo Con i Fiori has a deep golden color. A captivating bouquet mixes candied ginger with dusty florals, wild herbs, incense and crushed, green apple. This is silky and rich, boasting a noticeable inner sweetness, balanced by stimulating acids and mineral-tinged orchard fruits. While extroverted and ripe in style, energy remains high throughout, as this tapers off spicy with a hint of sour melon that keeps the mouth watering for more. The Pecorino for the Giocheremo Con i Fiori is fermented and aged on the lees for six months in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Emidio Pepe
Colli Aprutini Pecorino 2016
The 2016 Pecorino is wonderfully fresh but also a bit withdrawn. Gingery spice, ripe yellow apples, hints of candied citrus and an enriching note of almond paste creates an alluring display. This is silky in texture, contrasted by nervous acidity which makes for a juicy experience, as ripe orchard fruits taper off to salty, savory mineral tones. It buzzes with residual tension throughout the finish, along with a hint of hazelnut. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Cataldi Madonna
Malandrino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2017
The 2017 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Malandrino is pretty and poised in the glass, leading off with mineral-laced cherry and blueberry, earthy mineral tones and hints of animal muskiness. It soothes the palate with silky textures, while cool-toned red berries with a salty-savory twang of acid adds tension. This closes long and pure, with hints of grippy tannins balancing its ripe fruit persona, as the mouth waters for another sip. Well done. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Amorotti
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2016
The 2016 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is fruit-forward and intense, showing balsamic-spiced raspberry with exotic florals and cherry tobacco. Velvety textures are firmed up by a more savory set of red and blue fruits. Brisk acids add further energy, creating a perfectly balanced expression. This is long and structured, tugging at the cheeks with grippy tannins and lingering minerals, yet its primary fruit remains front and center. Although you’d expect the 2016 Amorotti to be a bigger wine from its bouquet, instead it handles its 14% abv with ease and will likely improve with a few years of cellaring. (Eric Guido, Vinous,April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Tiberio
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2019
The 2019 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is so easy to like, with a bouquet of raw almond and crushed stone with honeyed apples and hints of fresh mint. This soothes the palate with soft textures and ripe orchard fruits, as a mix of salty minerals and brisk acids add tension toward the close. The 2019 is harmonious, youthfully spry and packed full of character, as it tapers off mouthwatering yet grippy under an air of inner florals. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Tiberio
Colline Pescaresi Pecorino 2019
The 2019 Pecorino is a more elegant and savory expression of the variety, wafting up notes of green melon, geranium, hints of citrus and spring flowers. It’s silky upon entry, contrasted by bright acidity and tart orchard fruits, yet also with a cooling hint of fresh mint. This tapers off crunchy and nervous in feel, with cheek-puckering freshness and salty minerality. Enjoy the 2019 today for its pretty personality or through short-term cellaring. I must admit to finding its fragile personality quite appealing, and it’s such a contrast to most of the Pecorino coming out of the region today. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Nicoletta de Fermo
Don Carlino Abruzzo Pecorino 2019
The 2019 Pecorino Don Carlino is spicy and sweetly floral, with a whiff of ginger giving way to spring flowers and a hint of wet stone. It’s soft in texture, with a pretty inner sweetness offset by salty acids, as minerals and tart orchard fruits create a display of tension toward the close. Hints of spiced orange and tangerine linger through the long and cheek-puckering finale. The 2019 Don Carlino is a stunning expression of Pecorino, yet it could use a year of cellaring to come fully into focus. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Jorio takes its time opening up in the glass. At first the wine is smoky with peppery florals and hints of camphor. Patience is rewarded, as this deepens with shades of violet, giving way to crushed blackberry and hints of spiced citrus. It’s silky yet lifted in feel, with juicy acids and soothingly ripe red and black fruits. This closes incredibly fresh with a flourish of pretty inner florals and hints of licorice. The 2018 Jorio really captures the energy of the vintage and is a pleasure to taste. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021)
— 3 years ago