La Chiamata Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2019

Young winemaker Ludovica Crugnale followed la chiamata (the calling) to create classic wines in her native Abruzzo. After spending time soaking up the knowledge of her mentor, Riccardo Cotarella—who’s known throughout the wine world as Il Mago (the wizard)—she’s crafted her gorgeous La Chiamata Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

We are seriously impressed, as are IWSC judges, who awarded it 90 points and raved: “full of succulent black fruit, backed by notes of cinnamon and vanilla spice. Polished tannins and attractive, balanced acidity make for a very enjoyable wine.”

Ludovica works in an ultra-modern cellar, while championing the great time-honored winemaking methods of the region. For La Chiamata, she looked to local legend Signora Maria Elisii (below, with Ludovica), who carefully hand tends and harvests her precious Montepulciano grapes in her beloved four-hectare (a little less than 10-acre) vineyard. Maria, who has now become dear friends with Ludovica, began working in the area in the 1950s—traditionally, women harvested, selected and cleaned grapes, before packaging them in special boxes to deliver to cooperatives. Today, she and her son Graziano specialize in limited-production releases like this one.

Just wait until you try this silky, black-fruited gem that sings with expressive black cherry and plum flavors. With a lovely intensity and ripeness, La Chiamata is ready to impress on its own or with food. For pairings, you can’t go wrong with full-flavored cheeses, pastas or red meats.

Fun dinner party fact: Montepulciano is so adored by locals that new parents even often wash their babies in it, to bring them good health and fortune!