Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a smoky, tarry character with notes of ripe black fruit, raisins, dark chocolate and ground spices. Full-bodied, spiced and cedary on the palate with chewy tannins. Yet it’s not overpowering and shows harmony and poise, freshened with bright acidity and mineral character at the end. Drink or hold.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2018 Podere Castorani JARNO COLLINE PESCARESI Appassimento pours a deep, almost black ruby; releases a penetrating wave of blackberry jam aromas; full bodied, it grips the palate and then eases its hold with a measured glide; bold, dark, raisiny fruit drives the profile; finishes long and resonant—made for a rustic, deeply satisfying pairing of slow-braised beef short ribs alongside shards of well-aged Parmigiano Reggiano, where the wine’s richness and dried-fruit intensity meet the savory depth of the meat while the salty, crystalline cheese sharpens and frames the finish beautifully. (Tasted: April 6, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
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Vinous
The 2018 Rosso Jarno Appassimento opens with a rich, intense wave of balsamic-tinged cherry, sage and sweet spice. This is potent and dramatically long, displaying notable weight and a core of ripe plums and strawberries offset by a subtle twang of citrus and sweet tannins. It is a big wine that just barely holds onto balance, but it succeeds through a freshness imparted by the cooler vintage.
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.