Cerasuolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

The 2009 release of Valentini's Cerasuolo - the Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC rosato made from 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, with the deeper cherry-red colour the appellation name implies (cerasuolo = cherry). Brief skin contact characteristic of Cerasuolo: per importer notes, Valentini bleeds the juice off the skins early rather than running an extended maceration, then ferments on must. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. Around twelve months in large old Slavonian oak botti, then one to two years bottle rest before release. No fining, no filtration. 13% ABV. 2009 in Abruzzo was a rainy year - exactly the kind of vintage where Valentini's brutal selection mattered most.