La Chiamata Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2023

An authentic interpretation of Montepulciano from central Italy, La Chiamata Montepulciano d’Abruzzo offers a cavalcade of black cherry and plum flavors hemmed in perfectly by pliable tannins. It comes to us from young winemaker Ludovica Crugnale, a trained oenologist who traveled the world gaining experience before ultimately following la chiamata (the calling) back home to Abruzzo.

After spending time soaking up the knowledge of her mentor, Riccardo Cotarella—who’s known throughout the wine world as Il Mago (the wizard)—she was inspired to craft the red as an homage to her circuitous journey. Working in an ultra-modern cellar, she still wanted to champion the time-honored winemaking methods of her region. So she looked to local legend Signora Maria Elisii (below, with Ludovica), who carefully hand-tends and harvests her precious Montepulciano grapes in her beloved less-than-10-acre vineyard.

Maria, who has now become dear friends with Ludovica, began working in the area in the 1950s. Traditionally, women harvested, selected and cleaned grapes, before packaging them in special boxes to deliver to cooperatives. Today, she and her son Graziano specialize in limited-production releases like this one.

Just wait until you try the silky result. A black-fruited gem, it has a lovely intensity and ripeness that’s ready to impress on its own or with food. (For pairings, you can’t go wrong with full-flavored cheeses, pastas or red meats.)

Order now to secure your share.