Pasetti Testarossa Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva 2018

Cellar for up to 10 years. Decant 1 hour before serving.

The Pasetti winery was founded in Francavilla on Italy’s Adriatic coast, but over the past couple of decades the family have expanded their estate to include vineyards in inland areas of Abruzzo at the foot of the Apennines and also in the verdant Tirino Valley.

Testarossa is Pasetti’s flagship wine and bears a distinctive red label which was inspired by the family’s ginger-haired women who played such a key role in the winery’s history. The grapes are grown in the foothills of Gran Sasso, the highest mountain in the Apennines, at an altitude of 550 metres. These conditions ensure that the grapes achieve optimum maturity as well as plenty of elegance and freshness thanks to the cooling breezes from the mountains.

The grapes are typically picked very late, at the end of November, and are fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks for 18 months. The young wine is then transferred to large oak casks for an additional 18-22 months of ageing. The result is a rich, full-bodied wine with ample dark berry notes and hints of cigar box on the nose. On the palate there is a firm structure, velvety texture and intense cassis and blackberry flavours which linger on the finish.