Deep ruby color; red cherry, red plum, red berries on the nose; red cherry and plum, blackberry on the palate.
Dry; relaxed tannins and acidity. Medium body, smooth and supple in the mouth. Plush, very easy drinker. Label suggests allowing for some air time, but this drank nicely for me on pop-and-pour, then rounded out quickly with exposure in the glass. Charming wine, excellent value. 13.5% ABV
100% Montepulciano, the major grape in the Abruzzo region of eastern Italy, east of Rome; the Apennine Mountains are the western border, the Adriatic Sea the eastern border. Juice fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, followed by only a few months of aging in large Slavonian oak barrels. There is little oak influence in this wine.
Giovanni Bosco founded the winery more than a century ago. The company, now headed by Nestore and Stefania Bosco, has been certified organic since 2018. The winery’s core values include: sustainability of production, safety in ensuring the chain of production, health of consumers, and simplicity to avoid excesses.
The winery is particularly proud of their extensive tunnels—man-made caves. The website notes: “Our cellars are a gem of underground architecture, where perfectly aligned bottles rest among large Slavonian oak barrels, small barriques and recesses.”
Nestore Bosco Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2018 is very affordable, red-grape palate pleaser. Fresh, fruity, easily approachable to range of drinkers, including those intimidated by assertive red wines. Excellent QPR (quality-price ratio). Especially delicious fruity flourish on the finish. Pair with roasted meats, especially with arrosticini—lamb roasted on skewers over charcoal, flavored with olive oil and rosemary, served with crusty bread. With its inviting mouthfeel and eager-to-please meld of red fruits, especially cherries and plum, this can be perfect comfort food marriage—pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers and sliders, meatloaf, baby-back ribs, barbecue, barbecue chicken, slow-cooked brisket. Salami and cheeses, charcuterie board. Cheese—pecorino, gruyere, goat cheeses, monterey jack, American cheese, parmesan, cheddar. $14-15
Nestore Bosco website with nice video
