2018 Eneo

The 2018s from Montepeloso are off the charts, especially within the context of the year in which quality is variable across the region. I was especially impressed with the silkiness and finesse of the 2018s, two adjectives that don’t often come to mind with the wines of Suvereto. Like many growers, proprietor Fabio Chiarelotto believes everything comes down to July and August, in other words, the last two months of the year. Chiarelotto describes the summer as hot, but not excessively so, with the 70-80mm of rain that helps keep the vines from reaching the point of hydric stress. Nighttime temperatures were moderate, which is always a positive, especially in Maremma. Over the last few years, Chiarelotto and longtime consulting Fabrizio Moltard have taken these wines to an entirely new level by giving them greater finesse and nuance. One of the recent developments is a greater emphasis on 500-600 liter barrels from coopers Stockinger and Chassin, a change made with the goal of lowering the oak imprint. As for the wines, they are among the most impressive I tasted this year.

This tasting was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Maremma. Proprietor Fabio Chiarelotto and longtime winemaker Fabrizio Moltard have turned out a magnificent, thrilling set of wines. The 2016s are majestic, while the 2018s, which I tasted from tank, show how well warmer sites handled 2018. Of course, as readers will see, the opposite was true in 2017. Today the wines spend less time in wood and there is more attention to cooperage overall. More importantly, the wines have never been better.