2019 Montepeloso ‘Eneo’ IGT Toscana

WSI95 JS94 Blackcurrant and cherry aromas with fresh flowers and orange peel follow through to a medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that are integrated beautifully in the wine, leaving a bright, focused impression. Attractive to drink now, but will show even more quality in 2023 and onwards.
Estate Notes: The Montepeloso Eneo is a gorgeously ripe and bold Tuscan red blend. Flavors of blueberry, dark cherry, cranberry, and shaved chocolate combine with velvety, soft tannins. There is also pronounced minerality accompanied by spice. Pair with grilled meat, aged cheeses and pasta.
45% Sangiovese, 35% Montepulciano, 15% Alicante and 5% Marselan. Lime-rich petrified clay and silex soils. Aged in second, third and fourth passage barriques.

Tucked away in the hills of Suvereto near Bolgheri on the Tuscan Coast – one of the hottest areas in Tuscany – is the 15-acre Montepeloso estate. The winemaker, Fabio Chiarelotto, admits about his wine that it’s “easy to produce concentrated wines in such a hot climate…but it’s much harder to achieve elegance and finesse.” In order to take full advantage of the terroir’s potential, he overhauled the vineyards in 1997 – retraining, pruning, and even regrafting many vines. In the cellar, he does relatively short macerations, employs natural yeasts during fermentation, and bottles without filtration.

The fruit is manually harvested using small baskets. Grapes are 100% destemmed. The wine macerates for 14-22 days. Fermentation occurs in 1,500-liter and 3,000-liter steel tanks. The wine ages for 18 months in second and third passage French barrels and another 18 months in bottle before release. Malolactic fermentation occurs in French oak barrels. It is not filtered.