Description

The vineyards for the Montepulciano are located in Pianell (a short drive south-east from Loreto Aprutino), which has a similar soil profile and altitude to the Passerina vineyard, but the vines are around 60 years old. The vineyard sits beside a small natural lake that allows the roots of the vines to stay humid even during the dry season. This freshness is found in the wine, elevated in stainless steel to leave unaltered this natural characteristic. All hand harvested, the grapes are taken to the winery to be destemmed and crushed and then fermented and macerated in steel. The wine is then racked to stainless steel vats where it rests for 12 months to then age 6 months in bottle before release.

The colour is a deep purple/crimson red with fragrant notes of violets, and a palate that is elegant but concentrated with hints of pomegranate, red fruit preserve and drunken cherries but also blue fruits and spicy notes supported with a fine tannin frame and bright acidity. Oftentimes, examples of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that come to Australia are more extracted, sweeter fruited and more alcoholic, as many see it as the quintessential ‘vino di tavola’ with a price tag to match. Chiara’s wines are clean and pure fruited with precision and a defined structure and typicity that we see as a unique selling point in wines of this price point. A rare find.