2019 Praesidium Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva
The 2019 Praesidium Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a shining example of what this underrated grape can achieve. Produced with care and
Producer
Praesidium
I have reviewed one wine from Praesidium: the 2019 Praesidium Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva (96 points).
Praesidium is a guardian of the old Montepulciano d’Abruzzo tradition in the Peligna Valley. Run by the Pasquale family in Prezza, on the rugged slopes of the Apennines, the winery is an artisanal fortress against industrial wine. It works with old vines on clay-limestone soils, cooled by mountain breezes, with certified organic farming, wild-yeast fermentations and minimal intervention.
The wines age for long periods, including in large oak, and are often released years after harvest. A Praesidium wine is wild and full of soul, with black olive, licorice and earth, a profound and uncompromising expression of mountain Abruzzo.
The 2019 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva offers black cherry, ripe plum and blackberry with licorice, tobacco and dried herbs, a rich palate balanced by fresh acidity and smooth tannins, and dark fruit, cocoa and earth. It will evolve for years and is a natural match for arrosticini.