Pettinella Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2019

Pettinella Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2019

Pettinella
$75.00

Grape: Montepulciano
Vintage: 2019
Type: Red

This small-batch red wine is a pure varietal bottling of Montepulciano produced by Davide Pettinella in the foothills of Abruzzo. Sourced from small organically managed vineyard plots in Tocco da Casauria, the vines grow on complex clay-limestone slopes. The winemaking utilizes a low-intervention protocol, featuring a spontaneous fermentation driven by native wild vineyard yeasts inside neutral open vats. It undergoes a natural maturation process, aging for over a year in seasoned wooden casks before bottling unfiltered.

It shows a deep ruby color with purple rims, opening with expressive aromatics of dark plum, blackberry, wild thyme, and savory forest floor. On the palate, the medium-to-full-bodied frame pairs concentrated dark fruit flavors with a firm, fine-grained tannin backbone. Savory notes of black pepper, leather, and potting soil blend into the fruit core across mid-palate. A clean wave of natural acidity runs through the center, keeping the fluid mouthfeel refreshed.

Pettinella is the Abruzzo project of Giuliano and Francesca Pettinella, former lawyers who turned fully toward the Montepulciano grape. Their small estate works vineyards in two different landscapes: alberello-trained vines around Tocco da Casauria near the Majella massif, and a sea-facing parcel near Silvi. The result is Tauma, a celebrated Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, along with red Montepulciano bottlings that aim to honor the grape without excess. Farming is organic, production is tiny and cellar work is intentionally restrained, with native fermentations, no filtration or clarification and only minimal sulfur when needed.