Corte alla Flora Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (2008)

Francesco Reddi, an Italian poet, has described the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as the "King of Italian Wines."  The wine style gets its name from the town of Montepulciano, which is located in central Tuscany, as opposed to the grape varietal known as Montepulciano.  (The Montepulciano grape is used most commonly in Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines, which is a subject for another post, such as this one.)   

The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has its own Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG.  The rules of the DOCG provide that the wine must contain at least 70% Prugnolo Gentile grapes, which are a clone of the Sangiovese grapes.  Winemakers have options with respect to the remaining 30% of grapes, and, use varietals such as Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine is aged for 2 years in oak barrels.  If it is aged for 3 years in oak barrels, then the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano can have the name "Riserva."

Corte alla Flora produces its Vino di Montepulciano with a blend of 80% Prugnolo Gentile, 10% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The Corte alla Flora Vino Nobile di Montepulciano pours a dark ruby red, with crimson tones.  The winemaker describes the aromas as raspberry, blackberry and sweet violet, followed by coffee and vanilla.  For me, the aromatic elements of this wine were ripe cherries and blackberries, with a little earth and leather.  After a while, I began to pick up some vanilla in the wine.  The body of the wine is subtle, with a little acidity on the finish.  The flavors brought out in this wine include cherries and plums. 

The Vino di Montepulciano can be paired much like a Chianti Classico, Sangiovese di Romagna or a Rosso di Montepulciano.  I paired this wine with Pollo di Parmigiana, my version of the classic Chicken Parmesan. This wine worked very well with the additional spices that I added both to the breading and the tomato sauce.  It also worked paired very well with the chicken, providing a juicy wine that complemented the juiciness of the baked -- as opposed to deep-fried -- chicken breast. 

The Corte alla Flora Vino Nobile di Monetpulciano is available at grocery stores and wine stores.  It sells for anywhere between $19.99 to $22.99.

ENJOY!