Conero Riserva 'Grosso Agontano' Garofoli 2020

The Conero Riserva 'Grosso Agontano' from the Marche winery Garofoli is a bottle with a bodied and structured taste, a pure expression of Montepulciano. Garofoli represents a family-run winery founded in 1901 in Castelfidardo, in the province of Ancona, now in its fifth generation of the Garofoli family, represented by brothers Carlo and Gianfranco. Conero Riserva 'Grosso Agontano' is part of the 'Selections' line, a range that reflects the estate's more than 100 years of winemaking history spent with a continuous desire to improve, always seeking the highest quality.

Garofoli Riserva Conero 'Grosso Agontano' is a 100% Montepulciano from vines located in the Monte Conero area on medium-textured soils rich in limestone. Harvesting and careful selection of the grapes are followed by destemming and crushing, with the mass placed to ferment in stainless steel tanks with 12-15 days of pellicular maceration. Once the malolactic fermentation is also completed, the wine is racked into barrique for ageing for 12-18 months, followed by as much as 2 years of bottle ageing before the final release so as to provide a wine that is already mature and immediately enjoyable.

On visual inspection, Garofoli's 'Grosso Agontano' Conero Riserva expresses a ruby red colour tending to garnet. Broad and intense is the olfactory panorama, defined by hints of ripe black cherry and morello cherry that combine with perceptions of tobacco, cocoa and sweet spices. The important warmth developing softness on the palate is well supported by a good freshness and polished tannins, with a long savoury trail and balsamic sensations characterizing the closure. Although it is very pleasant right from the start, this Montepulciano has excellent longevity.