Country: Italy

Tenute del Cerro has spent two decades improving already excellent vineyard land in Central Italy's three great "M" zones: Montalcino, Montepulciano and Montefalco. Poggio Abate comes from a single parcel where the vines naturally yield lower than those around them. Hand-harvested, de-stemmed and fermented at 28 C for 2.5 weeks, 40% of the juice ages in French barriques and the rest in Slavonian oak barrels for 12 months. After 12 more months in big barrels only, blending and 18 months bottle aging take place.