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Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

This instalment of my guide to the wines of Tuscany takes us east from the famed wines of Montalcino, to the less widely appreciated Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Although less well known, and certainly holding a much lower profile on international markets, I would maintain that - in a handful of cases, at least - the wines of Montepulciano are no less worthy of our attention. Indeed, thinking back to my encounters with Tuscan Sangiovese, several of the most exciting - on the same level as that of Fontodi's Flaccianello, for example - have been from this small vinous enclave.

Of course, those were my first encounters with genuine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, not with the sound-a-like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Although the differences are clear, when exploring Italian wine for the very first time these two similar names do have the ability to confuse, so it is worth making the distinction here I think, before we get our teeth into Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. In the case of this wine, Montepulciano is the origin of the wine, which is named vino nobile, hence Vino Nobile di (di translates as from) Montepulciano. Applying the same logic to the latter wine, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo must be made from the Montepulciano variety, and hails not from Tuscany but from (here d' is a contraction of di) neighbouring Abruzzo. Quite why the Tuscan hilltop town of Montepulciano ended up with the same name as a distant grape variety (or vice versa) is an unknown it seems, but we seem to be stuck with it.

This is no minor distinction, as although both denominaziones can yield wines of considerable interest the styles are most certainly different, as indeed are the prices. The wines of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo tend towards a rather robust style, dissimilar to the more elegant wines that go by the name of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. This guide, which is concerned only with the wines of Tuscany, focuses solely on Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

History

Whereas Brunello di Montalcino is a relative newcomer to the Tuscan wine scene, the wines of Montepulciano, which at the upper echelons enjoy the grand title of Vino Nobile (which translates - as you might imagine - to noble wine) are the exact opposite. Ancient documents from the 9th century describe the vineyards, while others from the 14th century describe the sale and export of the wines. Quite how the wine earned its Vino Nobile moniker is a mystery, although the fact that the wine has been favoured by a number of popes and a variety of Italian noblemen may well be relevant (although this could of course be said of many other wines not blessed with the nobile prefix). One possible clue is contained within the work of Francesco Redi, court physician to the Medici family. The name of Redi will be familiar to anybody with more than a passing history of science and specifically the scientific method, as his early work - which refuted the concept of the spontaneous generation of life from inanimate objects, published in Esperienze Intorno alla Generazione degl'Insetti in 1668 - is today held up as one of the earliest examples of good scientific methodology. He was perhaps not being so impassionate and objective when, in his dithyrambic poem Bacco in Toscana, he referred to the wine of Montepulciano as 'the king of all wine', but there's nothing wrong with a little passion and failed objectivity when it comes to the grape. And how could it not be termed nobile after such a generous description?

It seems widely accepted that the first time the term appeared on a label was in the 1930s, when Adamo Fanetti used it to describe his wine. For that reason some regard Fanetti as the 'father' of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, although I personally think that is pushing it somewhat. There is in existence evidence that the term was in well-established use during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Despite such illustrious origins, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has never achieved the fame and reach of its more famous cousin, Brunello di Montalcino. I recall when I was exploring the wines of Tuscany in my earlier wine drinking days that I found it difficult to even locate a bottle, and although eventually I succeeded I gave up having acquired wines from only three producers. Having said that what I did manage to get hold of was, in two cases (so more than half of my sample then!) an exceptionally complex and appealing wine, the estates in question being Poliziano and Boscarelli. I was hooked, although limited availability of these wines has long meant I have never fed this addiction in the way that I might have done if these wines were more readily at hand.

Making Montepulciano

The vineyards of Montepulciano are varied in terms of aspect, akin to those of Montalcino, in that they run around and up the slopes that surround the hill. Altogether there is 1300 hectares eligible for planting, although the area actually committed to vineyards is considerably less than that figure. There are only around seventy-or-so estates actively working the land, a low number that ties in with the region's low-level presence on international markets.

There are clear differences between the processes that lie behind a bottle of Vino Nobile when compared with a bottle of Brunello, but also some obvious similarities. Both are Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), Vino Nobile having been one of the first five DOCGs to be created in 1980, along with Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti, Barolo and Barbaresco. And it will come as no surprise that Vino Nobile, like the rest of Tuscany, is dependent on our old friend Sangiovese. Here the grape does not go by that name though, not by any grosso or piccolo designation, nor by the name Brunello which it takes just 30 kilometres to the west in Montalcino. Here in Montepulciano the variety goes by the alias of Prugnolo, or Prugnolo Gentile (which strangely translates as gentle wild plum - strange because it is neither a plum, nor is its reputation for tannic structure usually described as 'gentle'!) to give it its full title. Unlike Brunello (or unlike legally produced Brunello, at least) there is room within the DOCG regulations for the blending in of other varieties. Quite a lot of room in fact, as the minimum requirement for Sangiovese is a mere 70%, a figure that has stood ever since the original Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) regulations were laid down in 1966, although it should be noted that since the regulations were amended in 1999 the proportion of Sangiovese may be as much as 100% of the total, if that is the style the winemaker wishes to pursue. The remaining 30% may be the 'usual suspects' once again, the traditional blending partners of Canaiolo (a maximum of 20%) or Mammolo which also perform this role in Chianti Classico. A more likely choice, however, is something a little more international, typically Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, although varieties other than Canaiolo are, in general, also limited to 20% of the final wine. There was also once the option for blending in white grapes, such as Trebbiano or Malvasia, up to a legal maximum of 10%, although as was the case with Chianti Classico (even when white grapes were legal there) this was not a practise quality-orientated producers would engage in. Ultimately, ahead of Chianti Classico which only outlawed their use in 2006, the use of white grapes has also been prohibited in Vino Nobile, in this case when the DOCG regulations were overhauled in 1999.

In the cellars, fermentation might be within oak or steel, followed by a minimum period of aging, just as for Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino. This might involve small or larger oak vessels, and the minimum required in wood is just one year, with a minimum total aging period of two years. The maximum time in bottle is six months, so although two years in wood would be common practise at many estates eighteen months followed by six in bottle, or one year followed by six in other materials such as steel, with six in bottle, would be compliant with the DOCG regulations. Some wines may be bottled as a riserva, in which case these must see out three years of aging as opposed to two.

Rosso di Montepulciano

We should not forget Rosso di Montepulciano of course, the local equivalent of Rosso di Montalcino. The regulations for Rosso are very similar to those for Vino Nobile, but requiring even less time in the cellars before it can be legally bottled. Nevertheless, despite there being perhaps 350 hectares specifically earmarked for the production of Rosso di Montepulciano (which may also be made from fruit sourced from Vino Nobile vineyards, although the reverse is not true), the wine is less commonly encountered than might be imagined. In part this may be because, with a fairly flexible approach to blending under the Vino Nobile designation, perhaps there is just less call for the Rosso DOC. Other then the very appealing example made by Poliziano, I must confess I am not that familiar with the style.

• Part 6: Down on the Coast