TENUTA ULISSE | Amaranta di Ulisse | Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | 2019
montepulciano

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Today we are are going to review a single-varietal montepulciano wine from the Abruzzo region of Italy – Amaranta di Ulisse Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2019 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 particular wine bears the Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOP status (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and is made with late-harvested, over-ripe montepulciano grapes. In order to soften the tannins and add extra complexity to the final wine, it has been aged for a period between 9 and 12 months in fine, french and american oak barriques. 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: medium-deep purple color
clarity: hazy indigo shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & expressive
fruit profile: black fruits | blue fruits
__black fruits: blackberry | black plum | wild cherry
__blue fruits: blueberry | blue plum
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | spice | oak | sweet | earth | other
__floral: violets | lavender
__spice: nutmeg | cloves | peppercorn
__oak: roasted oakwood | tobacco
__sweet: blueberry jam | blackberry jam
__earth: black soil | slate
__other: new leather | hints of iron & veal
primary layer: fruit

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

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

//Scoring
TENUTA ULISSE | Amaranta di Ulisse | Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | 2019
variety: montepulciano
country: Italy
region: Abruzzo
rating: 92.9

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or age for 3 to 4 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Italy and, with a total of 92.9 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, flamboyant and heady montepulciano wine with a bitter-crisp mouthfeel and a nuanced, 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 3 to 4 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 ripe and overripe, blue & black fruits in the foreground, supported by a dusty, spicy-earthy background and a subtle, floral layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers crisp acidity, ripe and firm tannins and quite an overwhelming touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a bitter-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a hot, grippy and slightly seedy 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 expressive flavour profile and its seedy mouthfeel, we would suggest to pair it against meaty dishes with sweet accents, like for example honey-glazed pork chops or blueberry-glazed filet mignon. Cheers!

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