TENUTA ULISSE | 10 Vendemmie | 6° Rilascio | #
montepulciano

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Today we are are going to review a single-varietal montepulciano wine from the Abruzzo region of Italy – 10 Vendemmie 6° Rilascio by Tenuta Ulisse. Montepulciano is a late-ripening grape variety that requires much sunlight, therefore it will ripen only on the hottest sites in warm regions. Due to its slow physiological ripening, the grapes accumulate lots of anthocyanins (pigment) and usually produce good-value, full-bodied and expressive red wines, especially in the Abruzzo region, where it is the star grape variety. Montepulciano wines are commonly confused with another italian great wine – the Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, which is a regional name for the sangiovese-based wines of Toscana. Montepulciano is the second most planted red grape in Italy after sangiovese and in the past, has had a reputation for low-priced juicy ‘pizza-friendly’ wines. Fortunately, some proud producers in Abruzzo have shown the amazing potential of this grape variety by producing inky, fruit forward and extracted wines with great ageing potential. This wine is at its 6th edition: a blend of 10 different vintages (the so-called ‘multi-vintage’), made of late harvested grapes that were sourced from 50 years old vines. In order to soften the tannins and add extra complexity to the final blend, a part of the wine has been aged for 12 months in french oak barrels, while the other part has been aged in stainless steel tank to make sure it preserves the varietal typicity and vibrancy of the fruit that is characteristic to this grape variety. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: very deep and opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy and noble purple hues at the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits | dried fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry | aronia berry | black mulberry
__blue fruits: dried black cherry | dried black plum | dried blackcurrant | dried  aronia
fruit character: overripe & dehydrated & jammy

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | spice | oak | sweet | earth
__floral: hints of lavender & violets
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | nutmeg | tonka seeds | rosemary
__oak: roasted oakwood | liquorice | cinnamon | black tea | tobacco | charred wood
__sweet: black cherry jam | blackberry jam | black mulberry jam | dried dates | dried figs
__earth: black soil | dust | charcoal
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: off dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: overripe
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: firm | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits & dried fruits
fruit character: overripe & dehydrated
non fruit: spice & oak & earth
finish: medium
aftertaste: bitter-sweet

//Scoring
TENUTA ULISSE | 10 Vendemmie | 6° Rilascio | #
variety: montepulciano
country: Italy
region: Abruzzo
rating: 93.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within the next 2 or 3 years
verdict: great | a must try wine
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This is definitely a great wine of Italy and, with a total of 93.7 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a very expressive, dusty and heady montepulciano wine with a bitter-seedy mouthfeel and a fruit-forward nose – a wine that is still developing but very close to the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 2 or 3 years, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of overripe, dried and jammy black fruits in the foreground, supported by a nuanced, dusty-oaky background and a spicy-earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers flat acidity, overripe tannins and an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a bitter-sweet aftertaste. All in all, this is a firm, rich and grippy montepulciano wine with a fruity-explosive profile and a full-bodied mouthfeel – a wine that in its current state lack a bit of finesse and elegance on the palate. Judging by the wine’s flamboyant flavour profile and its jammy mouthfeel, we would suggest to pair it with meaty dishes that are rich in sweet accents, like for example honey-glazed pork chops or pepper steak stir fry. Cheers!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.