Valle Reale Vigneto Sant’Eusanio Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2020 (ECO) 75 cl.

The Montepulciano grapes for this wine are grown on the Sant’Eusanio vineyard, which is the winery’s smallest and highest vineyard (1 ha at 497 m above sea level). The soil here is thin and very stony and due to the height of the field, you experience extremely low temperatures at night. The ripening of the grapes is therefore longer than in the other vineyards, but the quality of the grapes is at the same time higher. The vines were planted in 1999, but it was not until 2009, when the vines began to give top results, that it was decided to produce the wine made 100% on the plot, which today is grown organically.

The wine is fermented and matured (8 months) in steel tanks to preserve the immediate fruity character. It has both Abruzzo’s concentrated and complex features, but at the same time an aroma and a finesse that is rare for such a powerful wine. It will be a good companion to vegetable dishes, poultry, veal – preferably with tomatoes and garlic.

The Valle Reale winery is located on the border between the Gran Sasso and Maiella National Parks, right next to the Laga Mountains, known for more than a hundred years to be the home of the Mariscano wolf.

The terroir around Valle Reale is quite different from the rest of the Abruzzo area. The immediate neighborhood to the mountains and the height where the vines grow (300-350 m.a.s.l.) give large temperature fluctuations between day and night, something that gives the grapes a long ripening process and thereby much more finesse, aroma and nuance in the wines.

It is the young generation of the Pizzolo family, Leonardo Pizzolo, who today owns and runs this historic estate, assisted by oenologist Giulio Vecchio and consulting oenologist Leonardo Valenti. In continuation of practicing sustainable production on the farm for many years, in 2009 they took the step to fully controlled organic production and in 2012 were certified organic.