Casauria

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The area is bounded to the southwest by the Maiella massif and to the northwest by that of Gran Sasso, both belonging to the central-southern Apennines.
• The hill formations consist of Plio-Pleistocene deposits of marine origin, with sandy-clay soils containing skeletal material, generally loose in structure.
• The vineyards are cultivated between 200 and 600 metres above sea level, excluding humid valley floors and poorly suited exposures.
• Mean annual rainfall is approximately 800 mm, with the wettest period falling between November and January and the absolute minimum in July.
• The climate is temperate, with mean annual temperatures ranging from 12 °C in April to 16 °C in October; July and August tend toward hot and arid conditions, with averages of 24–25 °C, and the Winkler index varies between 1,800 and 2,200 degree-days.

• The territory takes its name from the Romanesque abbey of San Clemente a Casauria; according to the Chronicon Casauriense, the great fertility of the lands enclosed by the bend of the river Pescara made the abbey and its estates appear a 'casa aurea' (golden house), from which 'Casauria' derives.
• At the end of the eighteenth century, the Mazara and Tabassi families expanded the cultivation area of the Montepulciano variety by extending their holdings beyond the Gole di Popoli and along the Valle Pescara.

• The wine displays an intense ruby-red colour with slight violet hues that, with extended ageing, evolve toward garnet.
• The palate is dry, appropriately tannic, and harmonious; over time the wine evolves, gaining greater complexity and softness.

• Montepulciano's high requirement for hours of sunshine means the vine benefits from the marked diurnal temperature variation during ripening, creating optimal conditions for the accumulation of aromatic and noble compounds in the clusters.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-02972
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo