Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geological substrate is dominated by Pliocene marine sediments, with sands prevailing at higher elevations.
• Pliocene sands are a rarity in Toscana: widespread at Montepulciano and San Gimignano, absent at Montalcino and in the Chianti Classico.
• Four distinct soil types: on sandy Pliocene, silty-clay Pliocene, and Pleistocene parent material (paleosoils or recent soils), encompassing 8 named pedological series.
• Mediterranean climate with a mean Winkler index of 1,900°, dropping to 1,750° at higher elevations; average rainfall of 690 mm.

• The first written reference to «Vino Nobile» dates to 1787, in a travel note compiled by Governor Giovan Filippo Neri.
• Prugnolo gentile (the local biotype of Sangiovese) forms the ampelographic backbone; earliest bibliographic mentions appear in Villifranchi (1773) and Cinelli (1873).

• Intense ruby-red colour, tending toward garnet with age; bouquet featuring notes of sour cherry, violet, and spice.
• A pronounced tannic structure ensures long ageing potential; minimum maturation of 2 years (3 for the Riserva), with at least 1 year in wood.

• Sandy and clayey Pliocene soils impart sensory notes of sour cherry, violet, and spice to Sangiovese, as confirmed by zonation studies conducted since 1989.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1308
• Official trade body site — Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano