The postman always rings twice: my pleasant return to Cantina Contucci

Returning to Andrea Contucci is always a pleasure, not only for the very good wines that he produces every year, but also because, although visiting him means entering a building with an important history - overlooking the Montepulciano’s Piazza Grande, where his family has lived since 1517 and where the cellar has been based since 1646 – has the innate, natural and extraordinary skill to make you feel at home.

During this last visit I also had the surprise of also discovering the beautiful wine-bar that - following the "suggestion" of many visitors to the cellar who asked for an environment in which to taste a glass of of wine perhaps accompanied by a platter of local products – his family opened in June 2021.

A place that, almost closing a circle opened by the historic building and continued by the cellar and the excellent wines that come out of it, makes this wine-estate one of the most "complete" of the appellation if not of the entire regional panorama.

Also in this case the tastes that Andrea "gave" us (combined with the pleasure of his companionship and expertise) turned out to be of excellent workmanship, showing an average level and absolute peaks equal if not even higher than those from me encountered during the previous visit, despite the vintages that I tasted last time (2016 for the “base” Nobile , 2015 for Selections and Riserva) enjoyed a greater appeal than those drunk last week.

Classic and traditional wines, made of an almost "dogmatic" respect for the characters of the terroir and with a wise use of wood, aimed at refining and making it more complex - but without ever distorting – the wine profile.

Also, once again and generally I appreciated the rigorous taste-olfactory consistency – an important but often underestimated feature for wine quality evaluation - and the remarkable persistence, an aspect that represents one of the clearest and most truthful "symptoms" of the value of the terroir.

Only its Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva was missing, finished in the current vintage but of which we will soon have the opportunity to test the next version which is completing the aging period in the bottle, but in its place Andrea wanted to pay homage to us with a taste of his Vin Santo di Montepulciano 2009, really in wonderful shape.

For the rest, below are the details and tasting notes relating to the wines tasted during the visit:

 

Rosso di Montepulciano DOC 2020

80%Sangiovese, 15%Canaiolo, 5%Colorino –- 8 months in 20hl barrels – 18,000/20,000 bottles/year

Ruby, medium intense. Youthful nose, very clean and greedy, just what you would expect from Rosso di Montepulciano. Fresh cherry notes, light balsamic nuance in the background. Consistent, agile and snappy on the mouth, tasty and well balanced. Delicate and well integrated tannin. A glass finished in few time, a bottle that up on the table would end immediately 87

 

Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2018

80%Sangiovese, 10%Canaiolo, 10%Colorino – months in 20hl barrels – 30,000/40,000 bottles/year

Ruby/garnet, compact, medium intensity, consistent. Powerful nose, in which the spicy component (black pepper) prevails and which over time are accompanied by floral nuances (violet) and woody references. Medium to full-bodied mouth, dark fruit, already balanced despite its young age even if a little short on nuances. Good persistence, dry finish with spicy returns. 89+

 

Mulinvecchio Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2018

80%Sangiovese, 10%Canaiolo, 10%Colorino – 30 months in 10-15hl barrels – 6,000/8,000 bottles/year

Selection coming from a vineyard (Mulinvecchio) featured by mainly sandy soils, and which therefore lead to round and full-bodied but no less pleasant and elegant wines. Ruby, dense and with wonderful brightness. Very fascinating nose, with a “more international” profile, with ripe red fruit and spices still dominating the profile but with richer sweet nuances (vanilla, light tobacco). Full bodied, coherent, rich and round but pleasant and balanced. Very long on the finish. The most harmonious taste. 92

 

Pietra Rossa Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2017

80%Sangiovese, 10%Canaiolo, 10%Colorino – 30 months in 10-15hl barrels – 8,000/10,000 bottles/year

Selection coming from a vineyard (Pietra Rossa) featured by soils rich in clays, and which therefore give rise to austere but at the same time elegant and profound wines, as well as long-lived. Ruby/garnet, also dense and bright. Deep nose, marked by balsamic notes (eucalyptus, menthol) but enriched by floral nuances and delicate boisè references. Structured and elegant mouth, never banal and continuously relaunching, in which freshness, sapidity and velvety tannins blend in the best way. Long and very clean on the finish. My favourite label, also this vintage does not deny its fame. 93+

 

Palazzo Contucci Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2017

80%Sangiovese, 10%Canaiolo, 10%Colorino – 30 months in 10-15hl barrels – 3,000/4,000 bottles/year

Blend of the best parcels of Pietra Rossa and Mulinvecchio vineyards, therefore a sort of "Selection of Selections", bottled from a very short time. Deep ruby, on the nose is more reminiscent of the first cru (cold and austere), while in the mouth it is material and rounder, outlining characters more similar to the second. Thicker and more velvety tannins than all the other wine. Very long persistence, finish a little bit unfocused, probably due to the young age 91+

 

Vin Santo di Montepulciano DOC 2009

40%Malvasia del Chianti, 40%Grechetto, 20%Trebbiano Toscano – 72-96 in 70l small barrique – 1.000/2.000 bottles/year (375ml)

The surprise tasting of the day, the "classic" version of Vin Santo (made using only native white grapes) declined in the Contucci style. Full golden colour, slightly amber. Intense, rich and expressive nose, played on notes of candied fruit (peach, apricot), vanilla and enriched by ethereal nuances and medicinal herbs. Wide and velvety mouth, round but at the same time very greedy, with high freshness and delicate savory returns to counteract and balance the natural wine softness and. Very long persistence, final on notes of dried fruit and even balsamic nuances. Gorgeous 94