Best 10 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Which are the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo? Discover our list with photos, descriptions and tasting of the best 20 best Montepulciando d’Abruzzo value for money. From the most famous wines to the lesser known ones of the best wineries.

Also discover the article dedicated to the best Abruzzo wines where you will find articles dedicated to the best Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Pecorino dell’Abruzzo.

MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO

Fruity, spicy and intense: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a DOC wine produced in the provinces of Chieti, L’Aquila, Pescara and Teramo. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is obtained from Montepulciano grapes (minimum 85%) to which grapes from other non-aromatic black grape varieties can be added.

Montepulciano is a native vine of central Italy that boasts a very long tradition, and together with Sangiovese, it represents the pivotal vine from which many of the best red wines of central Italy are born.

Among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo we can also find the ‘reserve’ type. The latter is subjected to an aging period of not less than two years, of which at least nine months in wooden containers.

TERROIR DELL’ABRUZZO

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo owes its success to the savoir-faire of the cellars but also to the intrinsic winemaking vocation of the Abruzzo terroir: The climate is Mediterranean but gradually becomes more continental and more mountain in the hinterland. The climate is favored by the thermoregulatory function of the Adriatic Sea which mitigates the high daytime temperatures of summer, while the numerous mountain massifs protect the region from the cold currents of the North.

The temperature variations given by the altitudes of the hills favor excellent ripening, but also concentration and finesse of the aromas in the grapes.

The soils of Abruzzo are quite heterogeneous but can be divided into two main areas: the western and mountainous area where soils of karst origin (calcareous) are widespread, which give life to more delicate and elegant wines, and the eastern and hilly part, more rich in Pliocene clays and sandstones where the wines are deeper and more suited to aging.

BEST MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO – Recommended by Jean Marco Palmieri

Which are the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo?

So let’s see together a list of the 20 best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and discover their characteristics with our tasting so that everyone can find the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo suited to their tastes.

To learn more, also discover our Abruzzo section with specific articles dedicated to companies.


La Botte di Gianni Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016 – Masciarelli

Description: Ripe cherry and black currant stand out in the olfactory spectrum, flanked by mineral puffs, leather and medicinal herbs. Well-hatched and ripe tannins and sensational iodized flavor that amplifies the sip.

Fermentation in stainless steel with temperature control system. Aging takes place in 700-liter French oak barrels, from plants over 200 years old, and follows bottling by gravity.

From the historic cellar, symbol of Abruzzo enology, a wine capable of maximizing the expressive enhancement of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo by reaching peaks of the highest level.

Deservedly among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines for complexity and elegance

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2015 – Valentini

Description: Surprising aromatic range that outlines blackberry in alcohol, plum, wild fennel followed by toasted and spicy notes.

Powerful and compact tannins of excellent maturity and finish with references to the fruit and aromatic herbs. Fermentation through the sole intervention of indigenous yeasts. Aging takes place for 12 months in large oak and chestnut barrels, followed by a long rest of about 4 years in the bottle.

From one of the most historic and iconic wineries in Abruzzo, a superb wine of unusual eloquence and elegance. Deservedly among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines for their unique and expressive character.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2007 – Emidio Pepe

It opens incisively on notes of small ripe dark fruits, withered violets and licorice root, to continue towards reminiscences of resin, dried figs and carob.

On the palate it is dense and sumptuous, with a well-defined tannin linked to a long acid line that denotes great evolutionary potential. Grapes de-stemmed by hand in wooden vats, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in vitrified cement tanks and maceration with manual punching down. Bottled and decanted by hand without filtration. Ages 24 months on the fine lees in vitrified concrete tanks and a few months in the bottle.

A real legend among Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines. A material wine with a sublime olfactory expressiveness. Fully among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines for extraordinary aging capacity.

Tonì – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2018 – Cataldi Madonna

The nose outlines a kaleidoscope of fruity nuances ranging from raspberry, ripe cherry and wild fennel embellished with delicate sweet spices masterfully integrated with white chocolate, cloves and cardamom.

On the palate it is voluminous, with a great extract and body with smooth tannins which counterbalance a good acidity that binds the sip, creating harmony and cleanliness in the mouth. The vines are located at 380 above sea level and the wine ages for 12 months in wood 18 months in the bottle.

It is a wine of rare elegance among the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: characterized by perfumes of impeccable precision and clarity and very soft tannins.

Fully among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for elegance and drinkability.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Binomio 2018 La Valentina

Description: A wine with eloquent and penetrating aromas: pressing with notes of ripe berries, red currant, spicy and balsamic, embellished with light woody hints and tannins of great finesse.

A wine of sensational versatility in food pairing. Impeccable quality / price ratio.

One of the best interpretations of Montepulciando d’Abruzzo: the nose is a delicate prelude that spreads sensationally opulent to the sip. Powerful but silky tannin and penetrating olfactory intensity.

Fully qualified among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for value for money.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Zanna 2017 – Illuminati


Description:

It opens shyly but gloomy on spicy notes and undergrowth and humus to spread out towards blackberries and wild blueberries.

The sip is warm and expansive, with slightly unfolding tannins and a finish of excellent persistence.

One of the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for recognisability: A French-style peacock-tailed wine: it opens up austere and gloomy to spread voluminous on the palate.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva ‘Harimann’ 2015 – Pasetti

Description:

Plum jam, juicy wild strawberries and sour cherries in alcohol gradually give way to a background of white chocolate, licorice and black pepper.

On the palate it is dense, material, with a finish in which the fruit echoes the protagonist.

Quintessential of the Abruzzo region, the Harimann Reserve is produced at the foot of the Gran Sasso, at an altitude of 550 meters. A dense and very juicy Montepulciano, concentrated and balsamic, with infinite evolution.

Vigneto di San Eusanio 2015 – Valle Reale

Description:

It opens incisively and seductive with complex ripe cherries and blackberries in jam, then articulated between shades of leather and slightly wild tones.

On the palate it has excellent acidity, slightly rustic tannins and a good mineral iodine trail.

A Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with seductive and enveloping aromas on the palate. Among the best for freshness, frank and straightforward character.

Mo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2017 – Cantina Tollo

Description:

The nose is played on notes of cherries, blackberries, withered red flowers and spicy nuances of dehydrated figs, coffee and cocoa beans.

In the mouth it enters broad and sinuous, with a sculptural tannin and a light balsamic tone that creates smoothness. Wine bottled without filtration.

A Montepulciano d’Abruzzo of great style, with great clarity of fruit and balsamic quality.

Mazzamurello Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2019 – Torre dei Beati 

Description:

Dark forest fruits that bring to mind myrtle and cassis, followed by pleasant notes of sweet spices, goudron and cocoa powder.

On the palate it is dense and enveloping, with compact tannins and a finish of great length and presence.

One of the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for identity and character: An unmissable, exciting wine that combines strength and elegance.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ‘Anfora’ 2020 Cirelli

Description: Violets, blackberries and plums in jam stretch towards a finish full of suggestions of undergrowth, resin, medicinal herbs and wild hints.

The mouth is immediately enveloped by powerful tannins that slowly give way to a long and fruity finish.

An unprecedented interpretation refined in Amphora, in which the varietal character of the fruit reaches very high peaks. Fully among the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines for the unusual refinement and great intelligibility of the fruit.

What is the best Montepulciano d’Abruzzo?

What is the best red wine in Italy? Choosing is a difficult undertaking, which however inevitably is subject to the limits of a subjective opinion, which as such, by definition, is deficient and arbitrary.

We have simply compiled a list of our favorite interpretations according to our evaluations. However, it remains essential to underline that wine is not born to be prestigious, exhibited or flaunted.

But to excite us and be shared in a genuine way with the people we love, binding ourselves to contingent situations and to the unrepeatable and intimate moments of our life.

Therefore, we invite you to visit wineries and get to know the producers who produce wines in their uniqueness, so that you can independently discover and choose the wine that can be counted for you among your personal favorite wines. If you have had the patience to read this far, thank you for your attention, but now is the time to fill the glasses and cut distant hopes, and therefore:

Cheers, Salute, Santé

Jean Marco Palmieri