Villa Medoro Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Rosso del Duca 2016
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Here's a bright and accessible red wine to serve with a classic plate of amatriciana pasta. The Villa Medoro 2016 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Rosso del Duca shows fresh fruit, some underlying mineral tones and mild spice or tobacco at the back. This entry-level wine spends 12 months in oak, but you'd hardly know it. This is a streamlined but mid-weight effort that is cheerful and carefree in delivery.
Other Vintages
2012- Decanter
Villa Medoro is owned by the Della Loggia-Morricone Family. In 1966, Federica Morricone's grandfather, Mr. Luigi Della Loggia, bought property in Medoro, a small village located near Atri in Abruzzo. The estate now encompasses over 250 hectares, 107 of which are currently planted with vines. Set in the beautiful area of Teramo hills and overlooking the green Adriatic Sea, this area is particularly suited to prime viticulture.
Federica Morricone, a young and powerful entrepreneur, took control of the estate in 1996, at the very young age of just 22 years old. Since then, she has completely changed the objective of the company to focus on making high-quality wine that starts directly in the vineyard with low grape yields per hectare, a feature that is somewhat unique in a region that often prioritizes quantity versus quality. "Villamedoro l'anima del vino" or "Villa Medoro is the soul of wine" is the motto and driving concept behind this company.
Federica is a person with great passion and commitment and in a very short time she has reached very high objectives that include introducing Villa Medoro to the national as well as international market with great success. Riccardo Cotarella, Italy's leading wine consultant, met Federica in 2003 and from that vintage forward they started a great collaboration together that includes both the winery and vineyards. A new winery facility was completed in 2012 and there is also a guesthouse on the property with four rooms.
Montepulciano is the second most planted red variety in Italy after Sangiovese, though it is achieves its highest potential in the region of Abruzzo. Consistently enticing and enjoyable, Montepulciano enjoys great popularity throughout central and southern Italy as well. A tiny bit grows with success in California, Argentina and Australia. Somm Secret—Montepulciano is also the name of a village in Tuscany where, confusingly, they don’t grow the Montepulciano grape at all! Sangiovese shines in yet another Tuscan village, here making the reputable wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.