Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesOpaque ruby in color, with dense purple highlights, this red is rich in dark cherry and plum, mixed with tobacco and a hint of rubber. Time in stainless steel and concrete has left the fruit pure and clean, yielding a dark-fruit-coulis flavor on the palate that’s brightened up by a brisk line of crushed stone. Well-mannered tannins and integrated acidity lend just enough support. Vias Imports.
The winery is run by his son, Luigi Cataldi Madonna, who continues the important working philosophy whose goal is to safeguard and enhance the specific characteristics of the terroir. Ofena, the city where the winery is located, is in a mountain's valley at 380 meters (1246 feet), to the feet of Gran Sasso, which is traditionally called "oven of Abruzzo". Thanks to the exceptional exposition to the sun and to the sensible diurnal tempratures, this area has remarkable qualities for wine making, also thanks to the composition of the soil.
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.
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.