Dante Marramiero, the Decade-Long Vertical Tasting

We met at the enoteca Achilli, a stone's throw from Parliament. This time, the weighty task was to understand how the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Dante Marramiero Riserva evolves over time – a wine that reaches the enoteca's shelves only after at least ten years from the harvest have passed.
The occasion is a golden one, also because it includes a tasting of all vintages released to date, starting from the very first: 1998. However, given the wine's extremely long development cycle – which, among other things, is not produced every year – the vertical ultimately comes down to just five vintages. Beyond the already-mentioned 1998, we have 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005.
We have already encountered the Marramiero estate when writing about the Trebbiano Altare 1996 and the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi 1994 and Inferi Riserva 1993. We therefore already have a sense of the time horizons that vini Marramiero are capable of spanning. But the Dante Marramiero is a different wine, conceived from the very beginning to travel through time. A rich, powerful wine, capable of developing 14.5% alcohol. But let us take a step back, to where it all begins. Let us start with the vineyard.
The grapes come from a vineyard of around 50 years of age in the contrada of Sant'Andrea a Rosciano, south-facing and characterised by a clay-rich soil. The old vines and the great work done in the vineyard allow each individual plant to contribute just one kilogram of grapes to the wine. The high extracts and polyphenolic components will be found fully intact in the glass.
In the cantina, vinification is carried out with a long maceration of the skins in contact with the must at a temperature between 25 and 30°C. Fermentation is conducted half in wooden vats and half in steel. The lots are then blended and left to rest for approximately 18 months. Maturation takes place in small barrels for at least 24 months, followed by extended bottle ageing.

Let us let the wine speak for itself.

1998 – Garnet in colour, with surprising youthful ruby glints, the nose is broad with hints of dried violet, red fruit jam, spices, leather and tobacco. On the palate, the alcohol-glyceric components balance the tannins and a very well-defined fresh-savoury backbone. An extremely long finish with retronasal returns of liquorice. During the tasting the wine changed considerably in the glass: the nose opened up completely, revealing all of its pleasantness. On the palate the wine is mature, in the full bloom of its emotional phase. It will remain so for a long time. I hope to be able to taste it again in a few years.

1999 – Garnet in colour with a lighter rim, it appears more evolved than the previous sample. We recognise intense aromas of plum jam, nutmeg and tobacco. On the palate it is warm and soft, with silky tannins and well-measured acidity. The balance is perfect. It even seems readier than the '98, though I would be curious to try it again over time, to understand which direction its evolution will take.

2001 – The child of a great vintage, the wine is deep ruby in colour with a garnet rim. On the nose it strikes with floral notes of violet, small red fruits in jam and pepper. But soon the balsamic quality takes over with notes of aromatic herbs – thyme and bay laurel. On the palate the wine shows both youth and class simultaneously, with silky tannins and an acidity so present that it hints at how far it can still travel. The persistence is extremely long, with continuous balsamic returns, now of eucalyptus, now of bay laurel. It lingered on the palate for so long that it prevented me from moving on to the next sample for at least twenty minutes. A majestic, imposing wine, outside of time. One of the greatest reds I have ever tasted.

2003 – A very hot vintage that nevertheless did not prevent the old vines from doing more than a good job, judging by the wine that emerged. Garnet in colour with an orange rim, on the nose we recognise hints of earth, tobacco and liquorice in the finish. On the palate the soft components balance the tannins and acidity well. The close brings returns of pepper and liquorice. Overall it still seems rather closed, suggesting further evolution to come.

2005 – Ruby in colour, the nose is not yet fully expressive, though fruity and spicy notes are discernible. Hints of eucalyptus briefly bring it close to the 2001, although it is clear that in this case tertiarisation is only just beginning. On the palate acidity and an exuberant tannin take over, showing all of the wine's youth. The finish is balsamic. The wine is not yet on the market.

What remains is the awareness of the expressive power of the Dante Marramiero, which reaches the heights of excellence with the 2001. Yet it always demonstrates great integrity and its full personality in interpreting the different vintages.