Montepulciano

This wine is Kosher for Passover.  Mevushal.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, slight plums and dust.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, cherries and plums.  Moderate finish.  A nice wine that works better with food.  nice value, too.  Pair it with brisket.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is made from a single vineyard of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.  Gianni Masciarelli and Marina Cvetic are a husband and wife team in southern Italy (she is from Serbia).  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries, smoke and thyme.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has some depth and complexity.  Flavors of cherries with thyme and anise.  A bit of char.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  Lasagna or a Beef Ragu would work well.  Drink over the next five to eight ye

This is Masciarelli's top bottling.  15% abv.   Inky indigo in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight on opening but after about an hour, it opens nicely.  Notes of black cherries, clay, dried cherries, dark chocolate and black pepper.  A bit of sweet black raspberries come out with more air.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Polished texture.  Well balanced.  On the palate, black cherries with some char.  With air, chocolate notes come out.  Some black licorice on the finish.  Complex and deep if young.  This needs some time (or a long decant).  Ideally, cellar for five more years and dr

This is one of the "middle" offerings from Masciarelli.  It is made from 100% Montepulciano grapes from Abruzzo.  14.5% abv.  Deep garnet in color with a purple core, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, black licorice and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberries with underlying char.  Delicious.  Long, smooth finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work nice with grilled meats such as Lamb Chops.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

This is a Rosé wine made from 100% Montepulciano grapes.  14% abv.  Pale garnet in color, clear and bright.  Very pretty in the glass.  Likewise, a very pretty nose with cherries, rhubarb, dry earth and the slightest celery seed note.  Nice texture.  Medium bodied.  Great acidity which keeps the wine lively and food friendly.  Light tannins.  The palate has cherry cough drop notes along with a slight touch of smoke.  Some warmth on the finish.  This is nice on its own but really begs for food.  it would work well with pasta but also it would be nice with slow cooked Chicken dishes (Paprikas

This is a Kosher for Passover version of this wine.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has dust, cherries, slight plums and spice.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, nice cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Moderate finish.  This wine needs food and worked well with Eggplant Parmesan.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is an interesting 100% Montepulciano D'abruzzo.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is filled with cherries and some balsamic vinegar.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cherries come thru along with some tart acidity.  Like most Italian wines, this begs for some food.  Spaghetti alla Chitarra with a nice meat sauce would work well.  Drink over the next few years.  At $15, this is a very nice value and makes for a nice bottle with a weekday dinner.  

From one of the most iconic wineries in Italy, this wine transcends the lowly status of Montepulciano d'Aruzzo.  This is still young but with a decant of about 45 minutes it opened nicely.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  What a nose!  Cherries, black cherries, anise, Indian spices and slight black pepper.  Full bodied with a lush texture.  Perfect balance.  On the palate, this is tight but unwinds in the glass as each sip reveals something else.  Black cherries, cumin, cherries, slight floral notes over a clean earthiness.  Long finish.  Delicious.  We left a glass for our w

The vast majority of wines from Abruzzi are quaffable/forgettable inexpensive red wines.  This is neither of those.  Emidio Pepe is one of the great producers of wine in Italy.  His red and white wines are both expensive and sublime.  They can age for decades.  This 2007 is just beginning to hit full maturity.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is complex with cherries, black cherries, baking spices, slight tarragon, and tar.  Dull bodied.  A strong streak of acidity (this is Italy).  Full bodied.  On the palate, layers of cherries and black cherries with underlying tar