This wine comes from The Marche, a province on the Adriatic Sea across the Apennines from Tuscany. This area is worlds away from the cultured hill towns of Tuscany and seems to lag behind many of the other Italian wine regions in capturing attention for its wines. The wines from this region are made from the grape Montepulciano (not to be confused with the wine from the Tuscan town of Montepulciano) and are generally simple, generous, rustic, inexpensive reds. But like the renaissance in the Languedoc in France, in the hands of passionate, committed, small producers, Montepulciano shows its potential. Rosso Conero (the wine appellation just south of Ancona) is Montepulciano at its finest. In 2004, three young partners revived the Giustini cantina and its vineyards of Montepulciano with the goal to bring Montepulciano to its fullest expression. The Piantate Lunghe comes from estate vineyards and is a blend of 85% Montepulciano and 15% Sangiovese. The wine is full-bodied with a remarkable perfume for such a brooding wine, this has layers of dark fruit wrapped around fine-grained tannins. |
