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96 By Robert Parker
96 By Robert Parker
91 By Wine Spectator
91 By Wine Spectator
The 2010 Montevetrano is flat-out gorgeous. Vibrant, floral aromatics lead to layers of beautifully delineated fruit in this finely sculpted chiseled Montevetrano. A wine of extraordinary beauty, the 2010 impresses for its clarity and nuance. I don’t think I have ever tasted a young Montevetrano with this much pure silkiness and finesse. There is a level of precision and delineation in the 2010 that is truly marvelous. I can’t wait to see how it ages. The 2010 is also notable for a much higher percentage of Aglianico (30%) than has been common in the past, while the international varieties are less prominent in the blend. In 2010 Montevetrano is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Aglianico and 20% Merlot, which means the Cabernet Sauvignon now plays a much smaller role in the blend. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Proprietress Silvia Imparato and long-time oenologist Riccardo Cotarella have done a great job with the 2010 Montevetrano, a wine that may very well go down as one of the best ever made here. Starting in 2011 Montevetrano will have a second wine, Core, 100% Aglianico made in equal parts from the estate’s own vineyards and vineyards in the Benevento district.
Producer
Montevetrano di Silvia Imparato
Campanian superstar wine, Montevetrano, burst onto the scene in 1995 and achieved cult status almost overnight. Italian photographer Silvia Imparato initially had just 4 hectares of vines south of Naples and made a little wine in 1991. Encouraged by the results she hired winemaker Ricardo Cotarella to help with the 1992 vintage. In 1995 she sent vintages 1991–1993 to Robert Parker who gave it a high score and famously called it the “Sassacaia of the south”. With this, the wine became sought-after overnight. The vineyard is on a south-facing slope with gravelly soils, and while the first vintage was 70% Cabernet and 30% Aglianico, the blend is now more typically 60% Cabernet, 30% Merlot and 10% Aglianico. Initially just 1000 bottles were made; now production is more like 30,000 bottles. The vineyard area has increased from 4 to 6 hectares and is planned to increase to 11 hectares in the near future; the expansion will stop when production reaches 50,000 bottles.