The next wine in our series on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is Majolica from producer Podere Castorani.  The Castorani name comes from the family of surgeon Raffaele Castorani who invented the first surgical procedure to treat cataracts and owned the property in the late 18th century.  The property has since gone through different owners and the winemaking traditions on the property were all but lost until a group of four partners banded a few years ago to renew the winemaking traditions on this property. 

An interesting note is that one of the partners in Podere Castorani is Enzo Trulli, father  of Formula One driver Jarno Trulli.

Podere Castorani actually produces four other Montepulciano d’Abruzzo labels and this is the entry-level (i.e. most inexpensive) label they produce in this varietal.

Overall, this wine has strong old world characteristics.  It has decent fruit but if you’re partial to new world, fruit-forward wines I would say this isn’t a pick for you.  The nose of Majolica Montepulciano d’Abruzzo features violet, vanilla and a touch of blackberry.  The fruit is really a secondary aroma.  The palate is also more earthy than fruity and has subtle blackberry, earth and smokey tannins.  It’s a little bit more acidic than preferable, which hurt the score slightly.  It’s a decent pizza wine for $10, but not really a top pick for me.

Wine: Podere Castorani Majolica
Varietal: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13% 
Rating: 82
Price Paid: $9.99