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Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, in some ways, is a victim of its own success. After all, it’s such a great go-to wine when your dinner guests order a range of foods – working well with red and white pasta sauces, the gamut of meats and even heartier vegetarian dishes – and typically so easy on the wallet, that consumers could be forgiven for assuming that fresh, straightforward Montepulciano is the extent of the wine’s potential expressions.
Such a misconception is exactly what makes the Fattoria La Valentina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Spelt” 2006 so remarkable. It’s still attractively priced (SRP is $20) but delivers infinitely more character and complexity than what you’re probably used to. The vintage should be your first indication: At nearly six-years-old, this is clearly a wine that was made for some cellaring. And man, does the juice itself bear that out.
It starts off with an evolved, beautiful nose, kissed with leather, cedar, flashes of sandalwood, currants and sage. On the palate it is sweet and minerally, with deeply soulful flavors of currants, sage, fig syrup and cafe mocha leading to a finish of cigar humidor tinged with a bit of black licorice. Expressive and mysterious at the same time, this is a serious wine lover’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. It’s showing so beautifully right now that there’s no way I could hold off if I had more bottles in my cellar (sadly, I don’t...), but it’ll certainly continue to perform well through 2016. What a remarkable example of all that Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is capable of – and at a fantastic price, too.