92 Point Velvety Italian Red for Under $10!

“A firm and silky red with plum and chocolate character. Medium body, good fruit and a chewy finish. Attractive combination of fruit and acid. Drink now.” -James Suckling, November 2016

FROM THE WINERY

Region: Abruzzo Appellation: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
First Vintage: 1987
Area: Scafa, San Valentino and Spoltore district
Elevation: 150-300 meters sea level
Exposure: South / South-West
Soil: medium clay Age of the Vines: 25-35 years

Vinification
Harvest: late September. Stainless steel tanks maceration and fermentation for 7 days and malolactic con-version. Ageing part in stainless steel tanks, part in cement vats and 20% in oak for 12 months. Bottled 15 months after harvest.

Tasting Notes: Deep ruby colour, with purple shadows. The bouquet shows rose, delicate red fruits similar to currant and raspberry, pepper, clove and accents of brush. Medium-bodied, in the mouth is velvety, with hints of cherry, blueberry and licorice, with fresh and energetic tannins that permeates the entire sip.

About La Valentina

La Valentina Farm was born on the hills overlooking Spoltore, which is near Pescara in Central Italy, in 1990. The owners, Sabatino, Roberto e Andrea Di Properzio, have been running the company since putting their development project into action in 1994.

After the first few years spent studying the Santa Teresa vineyard, their continuous efforts to keep improving quality and to achieve recognition for the high-quality D.O.C. wines from the Abruzzo region have become the principal goals in the company philosophy. We have learned to understand our land more fully by respecting and tending it. Each year we have had successively healthier wines of more and more authentic quality. Moved by our conviction that improvement comes only through respect for natural equilibriums, year on year we have rigorously applied our philosophy that does not permit the unrestrained use of technology and chemicals. We have decided to intervene as little as possible in what are natural processes, adhering to the concept that high-quality D.O.C. wine “has the mark of the vine on its grapes.”

By ensuring that the land remains highly fertile and keeping the plants healthy, they are able to fight off parasites and disease on their own and express themselves. In this way they can produce the healthiest possible grapes of the absolute highest quality. Our wines are natural products of our terroir – our unique combination of terrain and soil, which we try to convey to every bottle and which is the secret of our original taste. The local micro-climate and the land itself, to which our vines are bound and so well-adapted, give rise to wines of a unique, distinctive character. Convinced that a fine wine is born from the sum of so many small details, our objective must not only be to always produce fine wine, but also to make sure that our wines are always authentic. Today La Valentina adheres completely to the principles of sustainable development and considers sustainability and respect for the environment as commercial necessities. Our employee training permits all our work and associated tasks to be carried out responsibly as far as the environment is concerned and there is also continuous monitoring of the principles of sustainable development. These are elements for which our company policies can constantly improve and so maintain our philosophy of having the greatest possible social and environmental awareness.