Spinelli Merlot 2018

There's a pungent note here of overripe fruit or mature strawberry that takes away from the overall harmony and elegance of the wine. Instead, this is a workhorse Merlot with soft, chewy tannins and a thick mouthfeel that could match lamb in spinach curry sauce.

A distant cousin of Cabernet, this French variety was always considered less prestigious than the other. But its world-wide distribution has demonstrated how it can generate an extraordinary rich and intense wine, especially in the warmer climates.

Merlot settled very well in Abruzzo: the result is a ruby red wine, with herbaceous hints and light spicy notes blending into ripe fruit aromas. It is fresh, harmonious, mid-bodied, with good length and not without a certain elegance and distinctive flavour.