Gran Sasso Alta Quota Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane 2024
Gran Sasso Alta Quota Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane
Region: Abruzzo, Italy
Vintage: 2024
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Montepulciano
ABV: 14.5%
This wine is intense ruby red in colour with garnet highlights. The nose is intense and persistent with ripe red fruit aromas combined with marzipan and warm spices. The palate is dry and warm with smooth tannins.
The vineyards are located in Colonnella, Notaresco, and Roseto along the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzo region, within the Colline Teramane DOCG area. Facing east and southeast, the vines are planted on medium-textured soils of limestone and clay. The hilly sites, sheltered by the Gran Sasso massif and cooled by breezes from the Adriatic, offer excellent sun exposure and ventilation, promoting aromatic intensity, freshness, and balanced ripening. Training is carried out using a combination of Tendone (“bower”) and Guyot” systems.
The grapes were hand-harvested and carefully sorted at the winery before destemming and crushing. A cold maceration of 4–6 days preceded fermentation on the skins, which took place in cement vats at 25–28°C for approximately 25 days. After malolactic fermentation, the wine remained in the vats for four months before being transferred to barriques for 12 months of ageing. The final blend was assembled following maturation to achieve optimal balance and complexity.
The Gran Sasso wines are part of the Fantini group, which was founded in 1994 by Valentino Sciotti with the aim of producing top-quality wine from Abruzzo. The project is named after the highest mountain of the Apennines that protects the regions vines from westerly weather systems. Combined with breezes from the nearby Adriatic Sea and soils ranging from clay marl, sand and limestone on the slopes, to gravel and alluvial stones on the plains, this singular microclimate is key to achieving remarkable quality fruit. The Gran Sasso wines are made by winemakers Rino Santeusanio and Francesco De Santis, with input from acclaimed consultant Alberto Antonini. Together, they create wines with a freshness and vivacity that sets them apart from many in this area.