Tried-and-true Vino Nobile deserves spot in the cellar

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is not having a midlife crisis.

Not long after the DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) system was implemented 52 years ago, in 1966 in Italy, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano became one of the country’s first DOC wines. In 1980, when the country introduced an even higher designation of quality — the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) — Vino Nobile was among the first appellations to receive that status too. In Italy and around the world, this dry red wine gets the respect it surely deserves. And although the appellation is officially settling into middle age, Vino Nobile has been getting the respect it deserves for centuries.

If you haven’t read Voltaire’s “Candide” in a while, flip back through that thin volume and look for the reference to “wines from Montepulciano.” That’s a relatively newbie reference, dating only to 1759 — documentation of wines from Montepulciano date to the eighth century — but the formal name, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, likely came into being less than two decades after “Candide” was published. (And P.S., this is also a Frenchman making note of an Italian wine.)

The town of Montepulciano is in southeastern Tuscany, about 75 miles southeast of Florence and 25 miles southeast of Siena, for quick map-location purposes. The sangiovese UNSCRIPTED: grapes that serve as the basis of the wine’s composition grow on nearby hillsides in vineyards situated anywhere from about 800 feet elevation all the way up to nearly 2,000 feet. By law, Vino Nobile wines must include 70 percent sangiovese, which is known locally as “Prugnolo Gentile,” and can also include canaiolo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, among others.

This is a wine for anyone who enjoys a formidable, medium-bodied, dry red that also offers some elegance and not just pure power. Often brimming with plum, cherry, raspberry and floral notes, these wines can settle into more savory tobacco, wood, leather and spice expressions, all wrapped in silky or velvety textures, and zinging with acidity.

The classic food pairing with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is wild boar ragu, but let’s just say you don’t have access to that dish every day. In that case, Vino Nobile’s prominent acidity and firm tannins will match well with other similarly hearty tomatobased pasta dishes and game meats, along with stews and good old steaks on the grill.

Just in case you have open slots in your cellar, take note that these wines are ageable, some for a decade or much longer, thanks to that acidity and tannin, plus alcohol levels that begin at 12.5 percent and can rise up to 14 percent or more in the case of some Riserva wines. Before they are released, Vino Nobile wines are aged for two years — at least one of those years in wood — while Vino Nobile Riserva wines must spend a minimum of three years aging, including a mandatory 12 months in wood and six months in the bottle before release.

About a fifth of all Vino Nobile bottles are sold in the United States, which means this is an easy-tofind wine style. Some bottle prices can soar, but very good examples can be found without much effort in the $25 to $35 range. To save some money, you could also look for Rosso di Montepulciano DOC wine, the baby sibling of Vino Nobile. Rosso is released earlier than Vino Nobile, and that lack of aging translates to more accessible, perhaps less-complex wines, and naturally lower prices.

Rosso is no substitute for Vino Nobile; use it only as an addition, for comparison purposes. And certainly don’t confuse Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or Rosso di Montepulciano with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The latter is a wine made of the montepulciano grape variety in the Abruzzo region, east of Rome.

As far as years to look for, the governing body of the Vino Nobile appellation declared “exceptional” five-star vintages in 2015 and 2012, and “excellent” four-star vintages in 2013, and 2011 back to 2008. Don’t shy away from the three-star 2014 vintage, though. Bargains can sometimes be found among the less-heralded years.

Below are notes from a recent tasting of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines. They are listed in ascending order according to price. 2013 La Ciarliana Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Savory notes mingle with cherry, herbs, blue fruit, violets, earth, leather and spice in this 14 percent alcohol wine. $26

2014 Salchetto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Made of certified organic grapes, this wine offers black cherry, smoke, raspberry, tangy pomegranate, cedar and faint strawberry notes. $26

2013 Poggio Stella Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Herbs, plum, pine and forest floor blend with raspberry and a whiff of cedar in this super-silky soft and fresh wine. $27

2012 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva. Plum, wet leather, dark cherry, incense and vanilla lead to a long finish in this one, with 13.5 percent alcohol. $31

2015 Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Soft and luxurious, this wine’s luscious, ripe raspberry and plum lead to a touch of black pepper spice on the finish. $33

2015 Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Floral with black cherry, plum and bright acidity, this wine also offers tobacco and spice in its many layers. $40

2010 Contucci Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva. Blue fruits, vanilla, cola, leather and earthy, savory notes feature alongside velvety tannins and 14 percent alcohol. $40