Tenuta Ulisse Amaranta Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2015 and 2014
Deep ruby with shiny tones; a pink purple rim. On the nose profile, this 2015 brims with primary, secondary fruit( cherries, concentrated black fruit plums, raisins, dark boysenberry and tones of the cooked meat, oatmeal). Compared to the more ready 2014, this 2015 has slightly more dried flowers and with violet tones. On the palate, these 2 vintages are both bold and structured, though 2015 has more creaminess, with coconut mocha, cassis, a cream liqueur with the hint of vanilla. Plenty soft tannins and acidity complete this medium weight wine 2015, giving a strict interpretation of the grape which could have offered light-hearted red fruits. Matured for nine to twelve months in French and American oak barrels. Don't feel it has 14% ABV, as it is well balanced on the finish.
The grape variety Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grows on spectacular terroir - ancient vineyards in the municipality of Lanciano - where the microclimate has a very positive influence on the quality of the grapes.
It is all well and good for wine to be declared the best in Italy by the likes of American critics such as Robert Parker, James Suckling and Antonio Galloni. But when the most prestigious home-grown reviewer awards 99 points in 2 consecutive years, as Luca Maroni has done for this spectacular Ulisse Amaranta Montepulciano again for 2015, it's a good deal.
But who is Luca Maroni? We read his profile and some of his writings and would say he is the creative taster using scores in the form of 'ratios'. His tastings ratios, such as PI(where PI= C+B+I) which relates to concepts of utils in the study of Economics, RPI to Retail Price Value, QQ and IQQ to the relationship between quality and production economy of scale, and PURI to 'purchasability', give even more dimensions of wine quality. Really, the 99 points(out of 100) of Amaranta Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2015 from Luca Maroni's PI, where C: 33 - B: 33 - I: 33. Really the RPVI is 7.81, the QQI 9.52 and the PURI 8.67(these 3 figures are out of10).
"Great structure, complex, elegant and well-balanced with a long finish. Opulent... Thoughtful wine." is Luca Marconi's qualitative comment on the wine.
Why not try something new?
Montepulciano (“mon-ta-pull-chan no”) is a medium-bodied red wine grape that is supposed to have originated in central Italy. Montepulciano wines are commonly confused with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a regional name for the Sangiovese-based wine in Tuscany. founded in 2006, Tenuta Ulisse Amaranta is today the symbolic mark of the enological renaissance in Abruzzo. Tenuta Ulisse is a modern, dynamic winery. It blends advanced winemaking technology and the active lifestyle of contemporary life expressing the potential and character of the native grapes of Abruzzo. Some fellow writers comment poetically that the depth of this grape is impenetrable purple-bluish and visually staggering. The sense of smell is pervaded by the sweetness of the fruit, a thick mantle of blackberry pulp and sweet oak, which reach expressive persuasions as clean as intact, floral, bright. The extract is maximally concentrated, and its majestic, dense, tannic apex is balanced by the softness, the bright gustatory acidity and the pulpy native grape, able to compose a flavour of perfect roundness. The aroma and taste integrity shining, as well as the gloriously juicy and archetypically considerable raw material. Indeed, among the best Montepulciano D’Abruzzo ever, a champion of analytical and sensory quality merely unattainable and dazzling.
