Friday Night Flight: $16 for 5 pours with 3 additional wines for purchase.
U.S. consumers have recently become more enthralled with Italy’s smaller, lesser-known regions, and Abruzzo is certainly one of them. But as one of the oldest winemaking regions in the world, Abruzzo is no stranger to growing and producing wine. Its wine quality was first mentioned by Polybius, a Greek historian who lived in the second century BC, and later by Roman authors Ovid and Pliny the Elder.
That strong winemaking tradition has carried on in Abruzzo throughout the centuries, becoming imbued in the region’s very culture. For much of that history, winemaking has been centered in the Peligna Valley, an inland, mountainous part of central Abruzzo. Over the last 50 years, however, viticulture has begun to evolve and spread across the region, and the region is now gaining recognition for its intense, vibrant, and full-bodied wines.
Abruzzo is a natural haven for grape growing, with over 32,000 hectares of vines planted across the region. Bright, sunny days, a large diurnal shift, and moderating influences from the Apennine Mountains to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the east make it the perfect place for grapes to thrive.
Torre dei Beati 2024 Pecorino d'Abruzzo "Giocheremo Con I Fiori" $27 - A fine and elegant nose, of citrus and white flowers, rounded by honey hints but vibrant of the typical herbs flavors of the variety (sage, rosemary, lavender). Smoothly entering the mouth, where the zesty acidity and minerality move up the tasting balance giving a long, mouthwatering persistence.
Umani Ronchi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Podere 2024 $15 - A young and immediately drinkable wine: ruby red colour with violet tints. Robust and full-bodied in the mouth, slightly tannin-rich with a dry and flavourful finish.
Cantina Frentana DOC Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Vallevó” 2024 $16 - In the glass, it shows a delicate cherry pink colour. On the nose, fresh aromas of red berries, cherry and delicate floral notes unfold. On the palate, it is light, juicy and harmonious, with vibrant freshness, fine fruit and a pleasantly elegant finish.
Federico Faraone “Le Vigne” Rosso 2019 DOC Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Montepulciano $21 - Dark and brooding fruits aged in large botti, hints of underbrush, floral notes and vibrant.
Azienda Agricola Cirelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2022 $22 - Deep purple with violet reflections. The nose delivers wild mint, thyme, red cherry, and oregano aromatics over dark fruit undertones. On the palate, tart cherry and blackberry flavors combine with wooly tannins and bright acidity, creating a thick textured mouthfeel with a fresh, crunchy finish.
Bonus Wines
Torre dei Beati 2024 Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo $27 - This traditional Abruzzo wine is the perfect middle ground between a rose and red. Only a real Cerasuolo has this particular shade of color and is a perfect “summer red”. It manages a transversal nature and is suitable for multiple gastronomic combinations. Think of this as the original "chilled red" before the craze began. The 2024 is energetic and crisply refreshing, with depths of ripe strawberry fruits and tactile mineral tones that add lovely traction toward the close. This has a long, tense finish, with pleasantly chewy tannins, nuances of cranberry and rosy inner florals.
Barone Cornacchia 2018 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 'Vigna Le Coste’ $30 - Cherry, thyme and pink peppercorn are lifted yet lightly concentrated in this brisk red. Bright acidity and raspy tannins frame the flavors of grippy cherry skins and blackberry on the streamlined palate.
Torre dei Beati 2021 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo "Cocciapazza" $45 - The 2021 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva Cocciapazza has come along beautifully after another year in bottle. Dried violet, sweet smoke, ash, dark chocolate shavings and crushed blackberries form its brooding bouquet. It's silken and elegant in feel, with a wave of ripe red and black fruits flowing across a core of tactile minerals and spice. Drink now through 2040.