Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby red color and nuances of ruby red with little transparency. The bouquet is intense, clean and pleasing, with aromas of black cherry, blueberry, plum, carob and violet followed by aromas of walnut-husk. On the palate it is balanced, with agreeable tannins, good body and intense flavors; persistent finish with flavors of black cherry and plum.
Pair with lamb chops, steak and roasted veggies.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Malandrino opens slowly in the glass, at first moody with wet stone and underbrush, yet evolving with prettier notes of crushed strawberries and sweet spice. Soft and textural, this washes across the palate with subtly ripe wild berry tones and sour citrus. Its minerality comes through on the finish, crisply refreshing and full of zesty tension. The 2022 is beautiful today but will probably be even better after a short stay in the cellar.
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.
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.