A Where’d-You-Get-This Italian Red
- 91 pts Jeb Dunnuck91 pts Jeb Dunnuck
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2018 Cavallo Di Battaglia Montepulciano D' Abruzzo DOC 750 ml
- Curated by unrivaled experts
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- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
A Jewel from the Adriatic Coast
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was already one of our favorite where’d-you-get-this dinner party gems, but Cavallo di Battaglia’s 2018—from a family-run estate and backed by winemaking talents honed at 99- and 100-point Napa legends—is on another level. It’s a generous red that thrives just as much in a high-profile tasting as it does alongside a hearty bolognese.
Cavallo di Battaglia winemaker Fabrizio Mazzoccheti worked with Anna and Mario Monticelli to craft a muscular, gratifying classic. The Monticellis’ impressive résumés each feature winemaking experience at some of Napa’s most iconic estates, including Bryant Family Vineyard, Quintessa, Hundred Acre, and more.
They’ve channeled that expertise in a 2018 Montepulciano D' Abruzzo that showcases the powerful dark fruit that the region is known for, but dives deeper into violets and graphite on the nose, and contemplative mineral layers on the palate. Jeb Dunnuck couldn’t get enough, praising the wine’s “seamless texture and fine tannins,” and proclaiming it “should be snatched up and enjoyed over the coming 3-5 years.”
Abruzzo is still somewhat under the American wine radar, as is the area’s flagship grape, the ruby-red and savory Montepulciano, but they both produce wines of significant character and quality. They’re wines that we find hard to pass up on an Italian restaurant wine list, even among tempting Barolos and Chianti Classicos.
The Abruzzo region—rugged, mountainous terroir between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea—has winemaking traditions dating back to the 6th century BC. Here, sea breezes roll down steep, warm hillsides lined with vineyard rows and dotted with fragrant, purple-red batches of the native erba sulla flower
Abruzzo’s abundant sunshine and diurnal temperature shifts are simply perfect for extracting dark-fruit richness and layered aromas from the Montepulciano variety. Italians adore this grape, and it’s the second-most planted red in the country (behind only Sangiovese). It’s often blended with Sangiovese, but, as this 2018 100% Montepulciano shows, the grape shines on its own with depth and complexity.