This product is no longer available. Please choose another vintage above.
Masciarelli - Villa Gemma - Montepulciano d' Abruzzo Riserva 2008
Vintage
A mixture of tradition and innovation is employed for the Villa Gemma Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. First, the must ismacerated and fermented in 3-5,000L botti before being transferred to new French barriques for 24 months, and spending another 12 months in bottle before release.
Estate
Founded in 1981, Masciarelli and its wines have become the standard-bearer for Abruzzo, and an inspiration to all emerging Italian wine regions. At just 22 years of age, Gianni Masciarelli believed that his home of Abruzzo and native grape varieties could produce world-class wines, but the
true potential had yet to be realized. With a strong focus on vineyard management, Gianni went against the grain with intense vineyard site and farming focus, reducing yields, working organically, and greatly increasing fruit quality. In the winery, he broke the mold by gently and precisely
handling fruit, and introducing French barriques to add depth and complexity to his wines, and resulting in better integration of tannin. The innovation Gianni and his wife Marina Cvetic brought to the vineyards and the winery has been rewarded with 29 Tre Bicchieri and recognition as a
groundbreaking and iconic winery in Italy.
Vineyard
This wine is a singular expression of Montepulciano from the Colle Cave vineyard in Chieti, the vineyard directly behind the house of Gianni's grandfather, and where his grandfather first started making wine in 1930. This steep-sloped site consists of limestone, clay and gravel,
and the traditional pergola vine training is abandoned here for the French Guyot training system.
Wine
Started in Gianni Masciarelli's grandfather's basement, Villa Gemma is the wine that announced Abruzzo to the world, showcasing what the region and grapes ofAbruzzo could produce. Villa Gemma is the only Italian wine with 14 consecutive Tre Bichhieris and, far more important, the wine that established Abruzzo as capable of making truly distinct, extraordinary wines, and for Italy as a whole drove interesin the discovery of the undiscovered, extraordinary terroirs of Italy. Villa Gemma Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a powerfully – almost undeniably – intense wine of
character and complexity, with deep fruit and complex earthy and spicy secondary characteristics that could come only from the Montepulciano grape in Abruzzo.
