2014 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG Tuscany 750 ml

Brunello-Like Tuscan Bargain

“Readers who haven’t yet discovered Salcheto are missing out on some of the most delicious wines being made in Tuscany today,” raves Vinous’s Antonio Galloni. Consistently one of the best values of Tuscany, the 2014 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano marries plush modernism and classic Sangiovese vibrancy for a stunning price tag. Salcheto’s Michele Manelli is one of the region’s dynamic leaders driving the renaissance of Vino Nobile, and in 2014, his winery fulfilled its tremendous promise once again. If you’re a lover of Brunello and Chianti Classico, this Vino Nobile packs the regal structure of Tuscany’s best Sangiovese wines — at $19.99 per bottle, this is a Tuscan bargain-hunter’s dream red.

For hundreds of years, Vino Nobile has been one of the most sought-after wines in Europe. In 1549, Pope Paul III, nearly on his deathbed, took the time to proclaim Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as "vino perfectissimo.” Historic records show it had incredible popularity with Italy’s aristocracy up through 20th century.  

Nestled in the rolling hillsides outside the town of Montepulciano, the Salcheto estate began as a sleepy farm in 1984, the land dedicated to crops, sheep, and a patch of Sangiovese. Thirteen years later, the property was jolted to life when Michele Manelli took ownership.

Young and passionate, brimming with new ideas, Manelli was part of the influx of ambitious talent which rushed into the region at the tail end of the century, driving the renaissance of Vino Nobile. With characteristic energy, Manelli instituted an overhaul of the winery, gutting the cellar and rebuilding it in 2011 using the most innovative and sustainable technology available.

Italy took notice: Salcheto won the “Sustainable Viticulture” award from Gambero Rosso in 2014.

The main vineyard sits at almost 1,500 feet in elevation, one of the highest in the area, caressed by both the sun’s abundant, warm rays and cool, brisk breezes. The soil — primarily tufa clay, formed from volcanic ash — lends the Prugnolo Gentile grape perfect growing conditions. Manelli elected to pursue organic and biodynamic growing practices, making for vineyards that bristle with natural life, and wines that deftly walk the tightrope between plush modernism and dusty Tuscan rusticity.

In 2014, Manelli maintained laser-focus on his Sangiovese. A long growing season allowed the temperamental variety to gradually reach full maturity and ripening as the vines stretched deep underground, sucking up the mineral imprint of the soil, putting out a dark, crushed-red-fruit Sangiovese bracketed by perfectly ripe tannins.

— Wine Access Wine Team