Archivio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – 2018

The Archivio is a “single vineyard” Montepulciano d’Abruzzo coming from a specific 1.2 hectare portion of our historical 2.5 hectare vineyard, planted to 65 years old Montepulciano vines. It is from this vineyard that over the years we identified, selected and then propagated our massal selections of Montepulciano vines with which we have planted all our Montepulciano vineyards.

The Archivio is a special portion of this larger vineyard because it is the only plot on the whole property that has a strong clay presence in the subsoil (limestone soil – subsoil with presence of clay and iron oxide). The Montepulciano that grows in the Archivio vineyard has different characteristics and so do the wines that are made with it. It is from this vineyard that we identified four different Montepulciano biotypes that look and behave differently from other known Montepulciano biotypes and clones. Therefore, it represents our estates’s historical Montepulciano vines library, or archive (hence the wine’s name: “archivio” in Italian translates to archive). The four biotypes have been named after our estate’s dogs, who are as much a part of our family’s history as the wines we make.

Differences between the four biotypes are numerous, but these can be generalized in: one biotype is characterized by smaller round berries with thicker skins that reach full physiologic polyphenol ripeness with greater ease, Tione98 ; a second biotype that has grapes with thin skins (and therefore a lower skin to pulp ratio with more juice) and higher acidity levels, Quarmari15 ; a third by a much longer bunch and it is the latest ripening of the four, Diana18 (do keep in mind Montepulciano is a late ripening variety as it is): and a fourth biotype characterized by a very round leaf instead of the more typical multilobed, jagged leaf and by seeds that only rarely turn completely brown (therefore delivering a much more tannic wine that is nonetheless more often than not nobly tannic despite the seeds not turning colour fully) Otto19 .

The spontaneous fermentation carried out with natural, vineyard-specific yeasts only reaches higher temperatures, indicating how this specific yeast population is adapted to a specific environment and able to work at higher temperatures and lead to deeper natural extraction of polyphenols.

The result is a wine that is at once fresh and elegant but also quite powerful, with darker colour, aromas and flavours, and greater density than our other Montepulcianos, a profile that is fully expressive of the wine’s specific terroir. For these reasons, and unlike all our other wines, the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Archivio is partly aged in oak (barriques, 30% new). The use of the barriques is not out of a desire to make an oak-aged wine, but rather a consequence of the wine’s specific characteristics and need for a greater amount of oxygenation.

• Soils: Limestone, clay subsoil with iron oxides
• Vineyard Area: 1.2 Ha / 3 acres
• Altitude: 380 meters / 1247 feet
• Vine Training System: 66 years old Pergola Abruzzese – Canopy training system
• Yield: 40 Hl

• Hand harvested mid-October
• Spontaneous fermentation with only indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks for 40 days
• Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in stainless steel
• Aged 12 months in 30% barrique,70% stainless steel vessels
• Aged 12 months in bottle

Archivio is intensely aromatic, powerful and elegant. Smoky red cherry and dark fruits complemented by spices. Violets, roses and liquorice flavors on the palate. Smooth, vibrant and fresh.

100% massal selection Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes from 4 distinct biotypes; alcohol 14.5%; Archivio is a single vineyard wine from our historical 2.5 ha vineyard with 65 year old vines; strong clay subsoil under limestone soils containing iron oxides; fermented in stainless steel with only indigenous yeasts 40 days; spontaneous malolactic fermentation; aged 12 months in 30% oak barriques, 70% stainless; bottled unfined and unfiltered; aged 12 months in bottle.

• 100% massal selection Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from 4 different biotypes
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• Total Acidity: 4.75 g/l
• pH: 3.4
• Residual Sugar: 0.5 g/l
• Extract: 31.8