Il Macchione Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2013 (Magnum 1.5L)

You are NOT drinking enough Montepulciano! At often HALF the price of the showier big names of Montalcino just a short drive away these wines deliver incredible value. Both wines are Sangiovese-based, THE important grape of the region of course, but Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the ORIGINAL. This one is deep and expressive, with spiced cherry, fresh blood orange, and just terrifically priced today. In magnum, this is a wine that will drink well from now and for the next 15 years. If you love Brunello, great Chianti, or already are a huge Montepulciano fan, THIS is the one to stock up on! Normally a staple on restaurant lists around the Bay Area and top NYC joints, this parcel was originally earmarked for Danny Meyer's restaurants until, well...you know, the global pandemic. Brothers Simone and Leonardo Abram, natives of Trentino, purchased Il Macchione in 2007 and converted the entire estate to biodynamic farming. At altitudes of about 350 meters in Montepulciano’s fossil-rich, sandstone-strewn Caggiole Valley, the Abrams are fanatical in their vineyard management, capturing not just Sangiovese’s perfume but its power. They make just two wines—this Vino Nobile, aged about 30 months total in a mix of cooperage (much longer than the law prescribes), and their Riserva, which ages in wood a good 40 months before bottling! SO complex and delicious, this punches far above its weight. On top of the deeply rich red cherry fruit, earth, there’s pipe tobacco, figs, and sweet soy notes. YUM! We have just a few magnums from the great vintage -- while they last!