CantinArte Ode Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2020
The ‘Ode’ occupies CantineArte’s ‘workhorse’ space as the cantina’s most abundant and approachable Montepulciano wine. A wine that is always good on day one and most often better on day two (a welcome surprise for a variety that often seems to put most of its better cards on the table right out of the gate), its freshness ‘afterburners’ demonstrate how picking prioritized to the earlier side of the season, along with rigorous sorting, avoids any sense of desiccation or oxidative notes in the spectrum of Montepulciano fruit - a concern often found in young wines from these sunnier parts of Italy. Minerally, cool and refreshing, the Ode offers ethereal aromatic qualities of black cherry skin and pit, fig leaf and camphor, on top of its naturally savory earthiness. The wine is more straightforward in winemaking approach, with stainless steel fermentations (10-12 days) and aging (12 months), and is void of any tweaks that might make it feel heavy-handed. Rather, a reliance on excellent and conscious organic farming with a clear eye for nuance and detail, and of course, the joy of the people behind it seem to render a wine of high pleasure.
CantinArte is the unification of two Abruzzesi families from very different corners of one of Italy’s most geologically and topographically diverse Italian departments - Abruzzo. Francesca Di Nosio and her husband Diego began their wine adventure in 2007 with a relatively small Montepulciano vineyard previously owned by Francesca’s grandmother, Maria, located inside the province of Chieti, a mere ten kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. The couple’s soft sloping southeast-exposed vines grow in deep sand-affected clay and produce balanced, bright and snappy red-fruited wines. By contrast, the pair’s white grapes (of which I encourage you to seek out on our shelves) grow high in the mountains of Diego’s familial province, about an hour’s drive east of their home village of Bucchianico. A wife and busy mother of two (on top of her winery and vineyard work), a trip to UC Davis in the late 1980s with her father, followed by a year-long apprenticeship at the biodynamic Chianti Classico cantina, Querciabella in Greve in Chianti, laid the groundwork for a passion for wine and farming that has led Francesca to her position as one of Abruzzo’s guiding lights in pursuit of balance and soulfulness in a region often lacking plenty of both.
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).