Di Majo Norante Don Luigi Riserva 2014
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Opaque ruby in color with garnet reflections, Don Luigi is a richly aromatic wine with layered notes of ripe wild berries, prunes, charcoal, cocoa, and licorice. On the palate, well-balanced tannins and a full-bodied mouthfeel make for an unforgettable wine experience. Pair this wine with baked pasta dishes, salami sauces, farsumagru, and mint-herb-crusted lamb shank.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Di Majo Norante's top-shelf red is the 2014 Molise Rosso Riserva Don Luigi. This is a pure expression of Montepulciano that has been aged in new barrique for 18 months. Some 35,000 bottles were made. Despite the challenges of the vintage, this wine puts its best foot forward. It offers rich density and concentration with a full load of black fruit nuances, spice and tobacco. This full-weight red should perform very nicely over the next 10 years.
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James Suckling
Plenty of ripe and spicy fruit character. Some figs, too. Full body, velvety tannins and a juicy finish. A big and rich wine with slightly cooked fruit character, but fun to drink.
Other Vintages
2017- Vinous
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James
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Suckling
James
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Enthusiast
Wine
Founded in 1968, the Di Majo estate cultivates more than 200 acres under vine. In order to ensure consistent, high-quality production for all the estate’s wines, Alessio Di Majo hired renowned oenologist Riccardo Cotarella as a consultant. In addition to producing quality wine at an outstanding value, the Di Majo family is dedicated to practicing environmentally sound agriculture. The Di Majo Norante winery sits on the estate of the Marquis Norante of Santa Cristina in the region of Molise, along the Adriatic Sea between Puglia and Abruzzo. The cultivation of vines in this area dates back to 500 BC, when the region was inhabited by two pre-Roman civilizations, the Sanniti and the Osci. The estate has been dedicated to growing vines since the 1800s. In the 1960s a modern cantina was constructed and vines were replanted in the Ramitello area. Optimal exposure, constant breezes during the summer, excellent soil composition and a slope toward the Sciabolone and Madonna Grande valleys combine to create a particularly favorable environment for the production of wine here.
Montepulciano is the second most planted red variety in Italy after Sangiovese, though it is achieves its highest potential in the region of Abruzzo. Consistently enticing and enjoyable, Montepulciano enjoys great popularity throughout central and southern Italy as well. A tiny bit grows with success in California, Argentina and Australia. Somm Secret—Montepulciano is also the name of a village in Tuscany where, confusingly, they don’t grow the Montepulciano grape at all! Sangiovese shines in yet another Tuscan village, here making the reputable wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
This mountainous region south of Abruzzo comes in second after Valle d’Aosta as Italy’s smallest and least populated region. Wine production is largely reserved for cooperatives with the main varieties as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Plantings of grape varieties from its neighboring region of Campania—whites Fiano and Greco di tufo and the red, Aglianico—have increased recently.