Montepeloso "A Quo" Rosso, Tuscany, Italy 2024

FROM POLANER SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: 45% Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Malvasia Nero 20%

THE PRODUCER: 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.