Tasting a Montepulciano Over Two Decades Old

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi Riserva 1993

I return to talk about Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi Riserva. This time I will tell you about the first edition of this wine, the 1993 vintage. A wine I had the privilege of tasting during a dinner organised by the producer, during which the presentation of the winery's latest release took place: the vino cotto Livia.
The setting could not have been better. The event was held at Ristorante Imàgo, on the top floor of Hotel Hassler in via Sistina in Rome.
The atmosphere was enchanting. The restaurant's soft lighting enhanced the view enjoyed through the panoramic windows. Moving close to the glass, one could see the entire illuminated historic centre of the capital, where the majesty of the dome of the Basilica di San Pietro stood out. Looking down, the magnificent staircase of Trinità dei Monti.
Few guests, a dozen in all; besides Enrico Marramiero and some of his closest collaborators, I recognised several figures long connected to the world of wine.
I will gloss over the excellent dinner, as well as the restaurant's impeccable service. Just a brief mention of the other splendid wines from the estate, tasted before and during dinner: the metodo classico, from Chardonnay and Pinot nero grapes, with 36 months of ageing on the lees; the Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Altare 2011 and 1994 (the 1994 from two different bottles), a Trebbiano about which I can only confirm my astonishment at the complexity, acidity and beauty of the twenty-year-old vintage (corroborating what I wrote about the Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Altare 1996); the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi Riserva 2010 (the current vintage, shown in the photo in the second glass) and the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Dante Marramiero 2003; and finally the vino cotto Livia, the latest release and the reason the estate chose to bring us together around the table.
I will focus instead on the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi Riserva 1993, as mentioned the wine's first vintage. When describing the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Inferi Riserva 1994, we had left off saying that we would need to wait a little longer to taste that sample at its best. At Vinitaly, with the frenzy that characterises its pace, it had not been possible.

Now, however, the wine is presented in a decanter, a clear sign that the bottles were opened well in advance, giving oxygen the time needed for the wine to release all of its aromatic sensations.
Let us move on to the tasting of the wine. In the available light it appears in the glass with a beautiful garnet colour with orange glints. Swirling the glass, it forms very dense arches, undeniable proof of the wine's great structure, as well as its 14% alcohol content.
The nose is intense and complex. Immediately tertiary notes of tobacco and liquorice, with spicy hints of pepper. Then still surprisingly fruity aromas, such as blueberry jam and ripe plum. Powder on the finish with a balsamic finale of eucalyptus.
On the palate the wine is dry, warm, round and enveloping, still surprisingly fresh, fairly savoury with silky-smooth tannins. The persistence is extremely long, lingering on the palate for minutes, with lasting balsamic and camphor returns. A mature, balanced and harmonious wine.
I tasted it alongside two courses of the dinner: the steamed spiced duck ravioli, with Sicilian almonds and cocoa soil; and with the reverse grilled beef rib, zolfini beans and porcini with red fruit. It probably paired better with the rib, thanks to its softness, structure and persistence which complemented the complexity of the culinary preparation well. But I imagine that the wine, given its importance and structure, can be suitably paired with lamb and mutton dishes from Abruzzese cuisine, such as pecora alla callara.
What remains is the memory of a magnificent evening and the awareness that Montepulciano is a grape variety of absolute standing that yields exceptional raw material. But also that to make a wine like this – a sample in such brilliant form after more than two decades – that raw material must be worked very hard and very well, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. With a clear idea of what the wine must be and of what it will become.