2016 VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO Madonna Della Querce Cantine Dei, Lea & Sandeman

VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO

2016 Madonna Della Querce Cantine Dei

Grapes Prugnolo Gentile
Colour Red
Origin Italy, Tuscany
Other Practising Organic
District Montepulciano
Sub-district Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
ABV 15%

Just a few barrels were made of this the 2nd release of Caterina's finest wine. Made in honour of her father. Such an important figure for her and for the Dei winery. On every visit we seemed to bump in to the charming man - long since retired but always about and always involved. This is a vineyard selection of the very finest fruit from the oldest vines and represents the pinnacle of what Caterina is trying to do here. A very sophisticated, intense Vino Nobile - more brood and power than the others, yet still with the trademark class and svelte-feel of this great estate, L&S (Mar 2020)


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The 2016 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Madonna della Querce is such a gorgeous wine. Scents of cedar, tobacco and wood smoke open first, leading into a core of ripe Sangiovese red fruits. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2016 remains surprisingly translucent. Ripeness is a bit pushed, and yet all the elements meld together so well in this overt Vino Nobile from Dei. Drinking range: 2022 - 2036Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2021)

A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Dei 2016 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Madonna della Querce replays much of the sultry dark fruit intensity that we saw in the other wines from this estate. However, the precision and sharpness of this vintage also comes through with cherry, blackberry and dark plum. Oak-driven aromas of smoke, tar, cedar and sweet spice play a big role in the overall intensity and textural richness of this wine. Drinking range: 2020 - 2026 Rating: 92 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (Dec 2020)

Cantine Dei

The Dei vineyard was founded by Alibrando Dei, grandfather of Caterina who runs it now, when he bought the Bossona vineyard in 1964. This turned out to be a brilliant vineyard site, and is the source of the 'Bossona Riserva'.

In the 1970s Alibrando bought the Villa Martiena, just at the foot of the village of Montepulciano, which came with more land for vineyards and olive trees. At first all the grapes were sold, but in 1985 the family produced their first wines under their own label, renting a winery in the middle of the town. The first winery on the Villa Martiena property was built in 1989. Caterina's father Glauco, also known as ('l'ingegnere' (the engineer) had a successful business in (and a passion for) Travertine marble, so the current gravity-fed winery at Villa Martiena is a palace of Travertine built into the hillside, designed by Glauco and Caterina with the help of architect Alessandro Bagnoli.

The vineyard now extends to 50 hectares, planted at 4700 vines per hectare, in five main parcels; Martiena and Piaggia, at 400m altitude, are mainly a mix of sandstone, giving bright yellow soils, Bossona, also at 400m has tufa on the surface with a calcareous subsoil rich in fossils, and is probbaly still the best site, while Ciarlina, at 300m, is a mix of clay and limestone and Cervognano (250m) is tufa and clay.

Caterina Dei has run the estate for the last 25 years, constantly working at small refinements in the vineyard management, as well as in the winery. Ploughing is kept to a minimum so as to reduce the number of vehicles that have to go into the vines, organic fertiliser and cover crops are used - barley which breaks up the earth like ploughing, clover as a nitrogen-fixer, mustard which is draining, while rape has an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effect. When these a mowed off, they add more organic matter to the soil. No chemical herbicides are used, and careful canopy management is used to prevent disease.

Caterina, musician, singer, actor, grew up with the vines around her and with a love for art and the countryside and vineyards, and all inspire her dedicated approach to making this the premier estate for Montepulciano. 'I rediscovered my love for music through good wine, as they are not as different as one may think. Both wine and music speak a universally sensory language, and celebrate the joy of living... This is what I would like to offer at Cantine Dei, as our truly unique winery is the perfect place to celebrate life. This is a place brimming with artistic emotion and passion for wine, where I would like everybody to enjoy a sensory experience, surrounded by culture and art.'

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