Vini Rabasco, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo "Cancelli Rosso" Abruzzo, Italy NV

100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

The grapes are harvested by hand, then spend 4-7 days macerating on the skins, depending on the vintage, before undergoing spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel. No fining, filtering, or added sulfur.

Iole Rabasco took over her family winery in the 2000s, shifting away from her life as a lawyer and dedicating herself instead to organically farming the 11 acres of vines and olive trees nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso mountains. The land had never been treated with chemicals, and in 2006 she converted it completely to biodynamic farming. From the start, her aim has been clear: to leave the land better than she found it. 

Her commitment to nurturing the land is evident in her wines, which vibrate with a lightness and energy that is rare for this traditional winemaking region. Iole hand-harvests her grapes, which are all processed almost immediately to best preserve the character of her vineyards. She focuses on the primary grape varietals of Abruzzo — Montepulciano for reds, Trebbiano for whites — all of which come from vineyards which were planted on average 40 years ago, and 450 meters above sea level.