I have always enjoyed Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines and have visited the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany and the wineries on a number of occasions. When I was invited to the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Master Class & Guided Tasting “The History Teller” by the Consorzio and Marina Nordic of @ieemusa (IEEM USA) I accepted.
Many years ago, a wine writer said that the problem with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is that it is “caught in the shadow between Chianti and Brunello. This is really not true because Vino Nobile was the first DOCG to appear on the Italian market and is a renowned red wine that stands on its own.
In 1997, I was in Montepulcinao on a press trip with Marina Thompson of Thompson International Marketing (Daniele Cernilli’s wife) when the Vino Nobile Consortium was debating the idea of adding international grapes especially Merlot. All of the wine writers on the press trip were against it but the Consortium approved it anyway. I guess they want to add Merlot as they hoped it would help sell their wine.
Today, after all those years I am very happy to report that starting with the 2021 Vintage Merlot will no longer be allowed in the blend. The minimum amount of Sangiovese will go from 70% to 85% and only indigenous grapes like Canaiolo, Colorino and Mammolo can be in the blend.
In order to highlight Vino Nobile di Montepuliciano’s significant personality, and avoid any confusion with Montepulcinao d’Abruzzo, some producers will now refer their wines simply as “Nobile” instead of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Like the adding of Merlot, this is a mistake. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has a long history and tradition in its name.
The Tasting
The speakers at the event were Andrea Rossi, President of the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulcino and Antonio Galloni, Wine Critic & Founder of Vinous, who was the principal speaker. Mr. Rossi spoke about the Consorzio and Montepulciano.
Maria Stella Carletti from Poliziano, Antonio Galloni, Andrea Rossi and Luca de Ferrari of Boscarelli
I have never met Mr. Galloni or heard him speak before only knowing him by reputation. He was very interesting and knowledgeable about Vino Nobile but also about Italian wine in general. He answered all questions completely and also voiced his opinion about the individual wines. I applaud EMMI and the Consorzio for choosing Mr. Galloni as the main speaker.
Vino Noble di Montepulciano
The Vino Nobile production zone is positioned on a hilly ridge between Val di Chiana and Val d’Orcia at altitudes between 820 and 1900 feet. The climate is largely influenced by the nearby Trasimeno Lake, with soils composed of marine fossils, sandstone, salt rich clay and precious silt deposits.
Prugnolo Gentile is the local name for the Sangiovese grape and some producers use either name while others use both.The town of Montepulciano in Tuscany is the center for Vino Nobile vinification. Both vinification and aging must by law take place in the municipal area of Montepulciano.
Vino Nobile is aged for a minimum of two years, including one in oak barrels or casks and three years total in order to be called a Riserva.
There were 11 wines in total at the tasting. The following are the first 6.
TVino Nobile di Montepulciano 2020 “Alboreto” Talosa made from 100% Sangiovese. The vineyard is at 350/400 meters the exposure is south/west and the training system is spurred cordon. There is a manual selection of the grapes from the last week of September to the first week of October. After a careful selection of grapes, the fermentation time is about 15-20 days at controlled temperatures in cone-shaped stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. Then malolactic fermentation is in stainless steel. The maturation is for 2 years in tonneaux of 2nd, 3rd and 4th passage and big barrels and stainless steel for another 2 months. The finished wine continues to be aged in bottle before release. This is an easy drinking wine with hints of plum, blackberries, a touch of strawberry and a hint of pepper. The wine will last for 10 years or so but could be enjoyed sooner. The winery suggests to drink it with pici and tuscan ragu. Mr Galloni said this was an easy drinking wine characteristic of the area. It was a good choice as the first wine. At around $20, it’s a bargain.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2020 DEI Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo. The soil is mostly clay with sand (tuff) and the vineyard is at 300 meters. There is a soft pressing of the grapes followed by spontaneous fermentation with the use of indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Maturation on the skins for 15/25 days with pumping over. Aging is for at least 24 months of which a minimum of 18 months is in wood. The wine remains in bottle for some time before release. The wine has hints of cherry, plum and violets with a hint of coffee and a touch of vanilla. The winery suggested serving it with braised beef cheek with mashed potatoes. $38. I visited the winery a number of years ago.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Selezione “Asinine” 2020 made from 100% Sangiovese Poliziano. The vineyard is at 380 to 400 meters and the soil is clay and silt with embedded fossils. Training system is guyot and spur pruned cordon. Vines are from 3 to 53 years old. Fermentation is in stainless steel vats for 20 to 25 days with cultured yeasts from the vineyard. Malolactic fermentation in 6,000 to 8,000 French oak vats. Filtration is with 5-micron polypropylene cartridges. Aging is in tonneaux, new French oak and second passage French oak for 20 months and at least 8 months in bottle before release. Sustainable framing practices and the wine is vegan. The winery suggests werving Fiorentina steak with the wine. I visited the winery 25 years ago and have always liked their wines. This is a rich and vibrant wine with hints of red fruit, cherry, strawberry, plum, violets. Mr Galloni really liked this wine saying it had bright red fruit, good acidity and would age for 10 years or more. It was one of my favorites.
Maria Stella Carletti, a member of the family that owns the winery, was present and spoke about the winery. After the tasting, I told her I visited the winery for the first time in 1997. She smiled and said she was born a few years later.
Vino Noble di Montepulciano “La Braccesca” 2020 Tenuta La Braccesca, Antinori Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, The vineyard is at 290 meters with a northeast exposure. The soil is sandy loam in very fine gravel. Each grape variety was harvested separately, destemmed and delicately crushed. The must was transferred into stainless steel vats where alcoholic fermentation took place at a controlled temperature of 28 °C (82 °F) to preserve the fruit’s aromatic profile. Maceration on the skins lasted for a period of 10 days and closely monitored cap management techniques focused on enhancing structure and extracting only the sweetest tannins. The resulting wine was transferred into large format barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and, starting from the following spring season, began aging for approximately 12 months. The wine was bottled in spring 2020 and was aged for one additional year in the bottle. The wine has notes of red fruit, strawberries and cherries with a hint of spice and a touch of vanilla. Mr Galloni said that in the past this was a heavy wine but over the last few years it has become lighter in style. $30
Vino Noble di Montepulciano “Vigna d’Afiero Selezione 2020 Tenuta Valdipiatta made from 100% Sangiovese. The training system is spur pruned cordon and guyot. Vinification is in steel tanks at controlled temperatures between 24 and 28 °C. Maceration on the skins for 20-25 days. Daily pump over and délestage at the beginning and in the middle of fermentation. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation takes place in temperature controlled steel tanks. Fermentation is temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with daily pumping over and maceration lasts for 20 days. Malolactic fermentation is in stainless steel. The wine is aged in French Allier barriques (225 liters) 20% new oak for 18 months. The wine remains in the bottle for a period of time before release. The wine has hints of black cherry, dark chocolate, balsamic notes and a touch of vanilla The food suggestion was pasta with duck ragu, roasts, grilled meats, spit-roasted liver wrapped in bay leaves and middle to aged sheep’s milk cheese. $40
Vino Noble di Montepulciano 2020 Boscarelli made fro 85% Sangiovese and 15% Canaiolo. Alluvial and sandy lime soil with a good percentage of silt, clay and stony structure that vary between layers according to altitude. There are about 6,500 vines per hectare. Vineyards are at least 10 years old. The grapes are picked manually and transported in crates. After de-stemming and soft pressing, they are fermented in oak vats filled to no more than two-thirds of their capacity. Indigenous yeast is used in the fermentation process that lasts about a week at controlled temperatures from 28 to 30 degrees. Short manual re-passing of the must and pomace is completed in the initial phase. Pulping continues, where possible, for another 5 to 8 days after fermentation. This wine is aged in Allier or Slavonian oak casks of capacity ranging from 5 to 35 hectoliters, where malolactic fermentation occurs. Maturation takes from 18 to 24 months. Before the release the wine ages in the bottle for several months. Food pairing suggestions: grilled roasted or braised red meat, game and seasoned cheese. The wine has hints of strawberry, violets, sage and a note of blueberry. Drink within 8 years. The owner of the winery Luca de Ferrari was at the event and spoke about the winery. I have always been a fan of this winery. $45
Next time Introducing Le Piece, a new terroir-specific denomination of Vino Noble di Montepulcino and the last 5 wines
Olive Ascolane are large green olives pitted and stuffed with a tasty ground meat mixture. They are rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.
Vignarola is a vegetable stew that you find in many different versions all around Rome in the springtime. We ate it several times on this trip, as an appetizer, over pasta and even as a main dish. Though there were a number of variations, they were all good, though this one we decided was the best. It consisted of peas, artichokes, lettuce and fava beans tossed with crispy strips of guanciale (pork cheek).
Pasta Amatriciana — my favorite made here with fresh tomatoes and thick spaghetti as opposed to bucatini and crisp guanciale.
Pasta alla Carbonara — Another Roman classic, thick spaghetti tossed with eggs, pecorino and crispy guanciale. Michele says it’s so rich, she can only eat it once a year.
The Di Filippo winery is 30-hectares and overlooks Assisi on the hills between Torgiano and Montefalco in the heart of Umbria. Roberto and his sister Emma own it. It is situated in Cannara and nearby is Pian d’Arca, where St. Francis spoke to the birds. I had met Roberto a few years ago at a tasting of his wine in NYC. I was very impressed by his wines and was very happy to see them on the list at the restaurant. Grechetto Umbria IGT 2021 Di Fillipo made from 100% Grechetto grown on a hillside of clayey and calcareous soil. The vine training system is spur cordon/guyot and there are 4,000/5,000 plants per hectare. White wine vinification with fermentation at 18C. Maturation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, white peaches, pears and a touch of almonds in the finish. 18 Euros
Dessert was a delicious tart filled with ricotta and sour cherry jam.
Dessert — We also tried the very dark chocolate mousse with whipped cream and sour cherries.