Abruzzo &amp; Molise: This Year It’s Reds Over Whites

BY IAN D’AGATA I JUNE 15, 2017

A decade ago, I would never have said
much about wines from Abruzzo or Molise, except for those from a handful of
producers. And even in those few cases, save for Valentini (first without equals),
I wouldn’t have done so in the generally glowing terms I use today. For Abruzzo’s
and Molise’s white wines were generally neutral and oxidized quickly, while their
fruit-challenged reds were often too tannic and tough when they weren’t flawed.
And the more expensive and hyped reds were overoaked and overripe.

How things change! What used to be a
region most noteworthy for inexpensive Sunday garden party and barbecue quaffers
is now the smart buyer’s address for wines that are not just inexpensive and good
but at times downright exciting. Molise is also improving its vinous offerings,
albeit at a much slower pace and in slightly less convincing fashion. But there
are encouraging signs here too.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1497537270116-1-La+Majella%2C+Abruzzo%27s+second+highest+mountain+copy.jpg"> La Majella, Abruzzo's second highest mountain 

Grape Varieties, and Knowing What To Do With Them

Two key factors explain Abruzzo’s
emergence from the doldrums. First and foremost has been the realization on the
part of many wine producers that Abruzzo is replete with grape varieties that
grow only there, and for centuries at that—wine grapes that speak of Abruzzo in
a way that international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and
Chardonnay cannot. It follows that wines made with such grapes can potentially offer
interesting, unique aromas and flavors not found in wines made elsewhere in the
world. Clearly, achieving distinctive wines with the likes of, for example, Passerina
or the even less well-known Cococciola is a work in progress. However, it is encouraging
that our knowledge of Abruzzo’s varieties is far better today than it has ever
been; it is undeniable that Pecorino has been a remarkable success story and
that Trebbiano Abruzzese’s charms are being increasingly appreciated by wine lovers
and experts alike. Just as important is the understanding that speaking of Trebbiano
grapes and wines generically is not just useless but wrong: there’s really no
such thing as a “Trebbiano.” In Italy, there are at least seven different
Trebbiano varieties, and they all yield very different wines.

The second key factor has been
improvements in both vineyard and cellar techniques tailored to each variety,
which are now allowing each cultivar to show what it has to offer to fullest
effect. Clearly, this is an essential step in the production of wines that
might turn out to be remarkable not just for being different but possibly for
world-class quality too. The best example of this positive development in
modern-day Abruzzo wine is Montepulciano, the wines of which have never been as
good as they are today. Growers now understand that this cultivar benefits from
the longest hang time possible, as Montepulciano’s pips have tannins that reach
physiological maturity only very late in the season. Furthermore, while Montepulciano
wines were once aged in oak—and even barrel-fermented—to increase oxygenation
in an effort to reduce gamey and funky aromas and flavors (Montepulciano is a
highly reductive variety), nowadays much more stringent selection of healthier
grapes with intact skins as well as lower and steadier fermentation
temperatures have helped to produce cleaner wines.

These steps have also enabled winemakers to reduce the
use of oak, thereby allowing Montepulciano’s dark red cherry and violet flavors
to shine brighter than ever before. Changes in pumpover regimes (know as rimontaggio in Italian, or remontage in French) have been especially helpful. Pumpovers involve
taking grape juice or must from the bottom of a tank and pumping it over the cap
of grape skins floating on the top, in order to extract more color, increase
flavor and even out the wine’s temperature within the tank. With Montepulciano, the recent introduction of open-top fermenters has been an especially
important development, as this has allowed for greater oxygenation of the must and
has enabled winemakers to cut back on their use of oak. In fact, many
high-quality Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines today see no oak whatsoever.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1497537303474-2-The+canopy+training+system%2C+very+different+from+orderly+rows%2C+is+alive+and+well+in+Abruzzo+copy.JPG"> The canopy training system, very different from orderly rows, is alive and well in Abruzzo 

A Few Clouds in the Sky

Although this is an exciting time
for Abruzzo wine, a few alarm bells can be heard in the distance. As is the
case virtually everywhere else in the world, when a wine becomes fashionable,
everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. Abruzzo’s Pecorino has been Italy’s
hottest white wine over the past ten years. This has led to a plethora of new
bottlings, but not all of them taste the way Pecorino wines should. Pecorino is
a low-yielding mountain variety that likes cool weather. Thus, planting it by
the seaside and pushing it to yield waterfalls of wine cannot possibly lead to classic
examples. But such bottlings are labeled Pecorino anyway, and so it behooves wine
lovers and professionals to know the basic characteristics of each grape
variety and the wines it makes. Obvious differences in aromas and flavors of
wines said to be made with the same grape variety are not always simply due to
individual winemaker creatività,
different “clones” or diverse soil types, even if that is what producers
frequently maintain. Furthermore, widely diverse results can also be obtained
by varying harvest times, and not just to achieve more or less total acidity.
For example, with some grape varieties such as Pecorino, harvesting early in the
season yields wines that are more characterized by sage and fresh citrus aromas
and flavors, while the same grapes harvested two weeks or more later can
produce richer, fuller-bodied wines redolent of yellow peach. Interestingly,
this is true of Pecorino but not of Trebbiano Abruzzese—thus the importance of
knowing what a given grape variety can and cannot give.

Molise&nbsp;

Molise’s viticulture and winemaking,
like Abruzzo’s, has improved significantly over the last ten years. Its wines
are not only more characterful and cleaner but producers are also paying greater
attention to local varieties such as Cococciola and Tintilia, as well as doing
a better job of matching varieties to suitable terroirs. Now, interesting high-altitude Sauvignon Blancs are being
produced, as are increasingly promising Tintilia wines, a semi-aromatic red grape
variety with real potential. Unfortunately, the many international grapes that
were planted decades ago to cash in on their wide popularity, and even native
varieties that were not traditional to the area, such as Falanghina and Fiano, give
mostly wines of very little interest. But I am optimistic that Molise’s wines
will have more and more to say in the future.

Recent Vintages and Wines To Look For&nbsp;

The 2016 vintage was a cold one. The year
began with an unusually warm winter, which led to an early budburst, but then disaster struck when
frost hit hard in late April. Summer was more or less normal but August was
cool and September was marred by rain right around the time of the white grape
harvest. But the vintage’s red wines look especially promising, as the red
grapes were generally harvested after the rainy period. Clearly, vintage charts
can provide only general information, because weather patterns can vary
significantly from area to area within a region. However, their utility can be increased
greatly if you know a little something of a region’s sub-zones and the cultivars
themselves. For example, it is no coincidence that Pecorino performed
especially well in the Colline Teramane area of Abruzzo in 2016, where producers
such as Emidio Pepe made some of their best Pecorino wines
ever. The Colline Teramane is characterized by generally hot weather, but
Pecorino does not do well under these conditions, and the grape likes non-stop
heat in August even less, as its sugars climb fast, often forcing producers to
pick it prior to full physiological maturity. It follows that the cooler season
of 2016 gave better results.

With few exceptions, though, the
2016 whites are not exciting; generally speaking, the 2013s, 2014s and 2015s
are more interesting. For the most part, the 2016 whites speak of commercial
yeasts: I repeatedly found banana and other tropical fruit aromas and flavors,
even in wines that rarely express these characteristics, while the reds are
much more promising.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1497537335589-3-A+view+of+Abruzzo+vineyards+copy.JPG"> A view of Abruzzo vineyards 

The 2015 vintage was a much better year in Abruzzo and Molise, mainly
because of fairly regular weather during, not extremes during most of the
vines’ growing cycle. In September, hot winds and generally high temperatures
caused grapes in some areas to build up sugars too quickly (Montepulciano
especially) and even to dehydrate on the vines, which forced some producers to
harvest sooner than they would have liked, and before tannins had reached full
maturity.

The 2014 vintage featured high rainfall
totals and for this reason has always had an image problem. But although it was
rainy, 2014 was not especially cold and thus late-ripening varieties were able
to reach full maturity. Those producers who practiced strategic crop-thinning
and strict selection at harvest were able to make outstanding white and rosé
wines, the latter a very important category in Abruzzo, as the region’s
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo wines are arguably Italy’s best rosatos.

I tasted all of the
wines in this report in Rome during April and May of this year.You Might Also Enjoy

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/2016-a-very-good-year-for-italy-s-many-rosatos-may-2017">2016: A Very Good
Year for Italy’s Many Rosatos</a>, Ian D’Agata, May 2017

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/the-wines-of-basilicata-paradise-lost-and-regained-apr-2017">The Wines of
Basilicata: Paradise Lost and Regained</a>, Ian D’Agata, April 2017

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/donnafugata-s-mille-e-una-notte-1995-2011-dec-2016">Donnafugata's Mille
e Una Notte: 1995-2011</a>, Ian D’Agata, December 2016



















<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/sicily-moving-fast-while-slowly-rediscovering-its-past-dec-2016">Sicily: Moving Fast
While Slowly Rediscovering its Past</a>, Ian D’Agata,
December 2016

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/elena-fucci-aglianico-del-vulture-titolo-2000-2014-dec-2016">Elena Fucci
Aglianico del Vulture Titolo: 2000-2014</a>, Ian D’Agata, December 2016

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/abruzzo-and-molise-coming-of-age-aug-2016">Abruzzo and Molise
Coming of Age</a>, Ian D’Agata, August 2016&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
 


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