Intense garnet color and dense blackberry nose; velvety and deep; meaty and juicy with concentration and generous flavors. It's made with an ancient biotype of Montepulciano called the African clone due to the shape of its bunches.

The nose blends fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry with savory aromas of fresh grass, wild fennel and cured meat. That meatiness flourishes on the palate, but the fruit lingers to maintain a pleasing tension. Tannins provide structure as the acid finds its footing.

The 2018 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva Binomio is hauntingly dark and floral, seducing with its rich mix of grilled herbs, plum sauce and dark chocolate. It floods the palate with medium-weight textures and polished red and black fruits, yet beneath is a core of salty minerals and lively acidity that adds both depth and energy to the experience. Lightly structured and wonderfully refined, this tapers off with length, leaving inner violet florals and a bitter twang of currant to linger through the otherwise-juicy finale. Binomio, a collaboration between Inama (Veneto) and La Valentina (Abruzzo), nailed the 2018 vintage. It could use some time to soften a bit through the finish and for its aromatics to evolve; but otherwise, this is already irresistible today.

An intriguing nose of red berries, decadent red apples, dried tobacco, roses and rich earth. Medium- to full-bodied with perfectly integrated tannins that create a lightly velvety underlay for the bright fruit and spice flavors that push through the long, long finish. Few reds from the montepulciano grape are able to offer this degree of complexity, combined with light-footed elegance and balance. Exquisite. Benchmark. Drink or hold.

Fresh dill and thyme lend a heady dose of herb to the plump black cherry and blackberry core in this red. It’s polished and full in nature, with rounded cherry and plum flavors meeting cohesive accents of clove, fresh herbs and cigar wrapper. Anise and grippy cherry skins linger on the finish.

A dark, juicy red, with notes of fresh loamy earth underscoring rich flavors of dried raspberry and cranberry fruit, revealing chocolate-covered orange peel, brambly herb and smoke accents. Medium- to full-bodied, with chewy tannins firming the zesty finish. Drink now through 2029. 1,000 cases made, 300 cases imported.

The 2016 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva is rich and dark with a mix of ripe plums and cherries, complemented by sweet herbs, violets and hints of brown sugar. Its textures are silky, cast across a weighty framework, with a more savory display of red and black fruits, along with notes of roasted almond and mocha. The density and sheer heft of the 2016 is notable, yet the Riserva maintains balance throughout. There’s an underlying structure and acidity here to warrant cellaring, if you so choose.

Broad and complex red with a velvety texture and good length. Dark berries, cooking spices, mocha, chocolate, nutmeg and earth on the nose. Full-bodied and structured with velvety tannins. Firm and dry at the end. Needs some time to soften. Try after 2026.