Rosso di Montepulciano DOC

The younger sibling of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, produced from the same vineyards and the same grape — Prugnolo Gentile, the local clone of Sangiovese prized for its distinctive plum and violet character — but released earlier and with shorter aging requirements.

The Territory Montepulciano is a hilltop Renaissance town in southeastern Tuscany (Siena province), perched between the Val d’Orcia and the Valdichiana. The surrounding vineyards sit at 250–600 meters on soils of sandy clay and tufo (volcanic tuff), which give the wines a characteristic lightness and aromatic lift.

The Wine Where Vino Nobile spends years in oak building structure, Rosso di Montepulciano is typically released within a year of harvest with minimal wood contact — the result is fresh, floral, and vibrant. Look for the characteristic plum, cherry, and violet of Prugnolo, often with a hint of Mammolo (a secondary grape permitted in the blend) adding a distinctive perfume that is entirely absent in Chianti or Montalcino.

Rosso di Montepulciano vs. Rosso di Montalcino Both are the “entry-level” reds of their respective territories, but Montepulciano tends to be softer, rounder, and more immediately approachable; Montalcino’s Rosso retains more of Brunello’s austere structure. Drink Rosso di Montepulciano within 3–5 years.

The Critical Take One of the best-value DOCs in Tuscany. Producers use it to free up their Vino Nobile stock, but the best examples are wines in their own right, not mere byproducts.

King of All Wines Montepulciano’s reputation is older than most Tuscan names and rests on one line. Francesco Redi — physician to the Medici court, and the man who disproved the spontaneous generation of maggots — wrote a long dithyrambic poem, Bacco in Toscana, published in 1685, which surveys the wines of the grand duchy and concludes that Montepulciano d’ogni vino è re: of every wine, Montepulciano is king. The town has been quoting it ever since, and the word nobile attached to the wine in the following century.

Prugnolo Gentile The local name for Sangiovese is not merely decorative. Prugnolo means the little plum, and the clone selected here does give a rounder, darker-fruited, less austere wine than the Sangiovese of Montalcino or the Chianti hills. Mammolo, the traditional minor partner, adds the violet note the name refers to and is grown almost nowhere else.

Tufo and the Town The vineyards sit on sandy clay over volcanic tuff, and so does the town: the cellars of Montepulciano are cut directly into it beneath the palazzi, and the barrel race of the Bravìo delle Botti is run uphill through the streets above them each August.

At the Table Pici all’aglione, bistecca, wild boar with olives, and pecorino di Pienza from the next valley. Serve at 16–17°C; this is the one to open young.

Benchmark Producers Poliziano, Avignonesi, Boscarelli.