IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Wine Reviews 93 Points

Wine Spectator 93 points 

 Ai Santi Le Guardie Montepulciano d'Abruzzo shows Deep, ruby-red in color, San Calisto offers layered aromas of ripe blackberries and crushed black cherries, followed by spicy notes of cassis, leather, and Mediterranean wildflowers. On the palate, its firm structure is elegantly softened by its silky, rich mouthfeel. This delicate wine is a light garnet red rosato, produced by gently pressing the wines with the skins after only a few hours of maceration. It is meant to be served chilled, and when done right, is a fantastic expression of the grape with aromas of summer cherries, violets and marzipan.

The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC covers the whole of the eastern section of the entire Abruzzo region of Italy. Production of the wine is concentrated to the areas bordering the Marche to the north, the Molise to the south and the sections below the Appenines Mountains. Any farther west and conditions are too rough for viticulture.

Before launching into production of the wine, a very important distinction must be mentioned: Here Montepulciano is the grape, whereas in Tuscany, it’s not the grape but the place (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). General rule: if you see Montepulciano as the first word in a label name, it’s the grape, and probably from Abruzzo. If it’s the last, it’s probably made from Sangiovese and refers to the place in central Italy.