2016 Umani Ronchi Jorio Montepulciano D' Abruzzo Italy 750 ml

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has long been our go-to at red-sauce joints and corner trattorias across the US and Italy for its incredible pairing prowess and drinkability, but Umani Ronchi’s 2016 Jorio bottling blew us away with its class and power. A 93-point knockout, none of its qualitative peers in Abruzzo can match its price.

We were quite familiar with Umani Ronchi, one of the finest producers of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo out there, but we could still scarcely believe the quality when we recently tasted their Jorio bottling. A bold red with impressively deep flavors of roasted Santa Rosa plums, black cherries, dried herbs, and a hint of tobacco, it really over-delivered, going beyond its 93-point James Suckling score. When we saw the price tag attached, we knew this was a wine we had to fast-track to Wine Access members.

Pouring a deep ruby-purple in the glass, the first thing that struck us was the richness of the aromas, with sun-baked plums and hints of thyme that previewed the flavors to come. The 2016 bursts with power, yet is strikingly alive and vibrant. Like the absolute best wines from Italy, it showed beautifully pure flavors and then demanded another sip—and we were happy to go along and take one.

We can imagine it as a perfect pairing for nearly anything we’d want red wine with: It’ll be great with pizza and pasta, and is robust enough to go with burgers off the grill as well. Its versatility makes keeping a case (or three) on hand seem like a great idea.

As a winery devoted to organic farming, sustainable viticulture, and an obsessive pursuit of quality in the cellar, Umani Ronchi’s wines stand head and shoulders above the mass-produced bottlings that dominate the appellation. They have won Italy’s prestigious Tre Bicchieri award multiple times, and are the only Abruzzese member of the Istituto Grandi Marchi, a nineteen-winery coalition that includes names like Gaja, Sassicaia, and Antinori. 

What’s really remarkable about Umani Ronchi is how reasonably priced their bottles are. If they hailed from Tuscany, we’d expect wines of this pedigree and quality to go for $30-$40 per bottle—but because Umani Ronchi is in less-heralded Abruzzo (and because we know how to work a deal), you’ve got access to their Jorio Montepulciano for half of that.