One of the finest Montepulcianos I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy, Torre dei Beati's Cocciapzaa is perfection in a bottle. Antoni Galloni of Vinous Media rated the '19 version of this at 95 points, his highest-rated Montepulciano of the vintage. I'll guarantee you the 2020 will score similar, perhaps even a point or two higher....
When we featured the 2019 vintage of this wine, I said that I believed it would be a wine that critics and wine lovers would be talking about....I guess I was right. Fairly new to the US and brought to us by the intrepid Jay Murrie of Piedmont Wine Imports, I'd happily "put this in the ring" against the best-of-the-best Brunellos and Chianti Classico Riservas.
"My thoughts veer from every denigrating thing I’ve read or heard about this grape is a lie to these are forms of wine enjoyment I didn’t know possible.” - Jay Murrie - Piedmont Wine Imports
2020 Torre dei Beati Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 'Cocciapazza'
Mind-bendingly good Montepulciano from a rising-star producer!
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As a 25+ year wine industry veteran, I have some advice for anyone who wants to open their own wine shop. BUY WINES LIKE THIS! What else really needs to be said here folks? This is everything I look for in a wine and more. Family-run estate, certified organic, soaring aromatics, and serious cellar potential.
Despite being a tiny estate that really didn't need representation in the US, Jay Murrie kept visiting Torre dei Beati year after year until they relented. These days, he gets a TOTAL of 50 cases per year for the entire state of North Carolina. That's a pretty decent allotment considering the estate only makes about 600 cases of Cocciapazza each year. Jay is a very likable and passionate wine guy, and his persistence paid off.
For those who think the Montepulciano grape cannot produce world-class wines, THINK AGAIN! Look up Emidio Pepe or Valentini, and you'll quickly see there are producers that can transform this oft-rustic and hearty grape into something very, very special. I've had Emidio Pepe and Valentini. They're wonderful wines, but this is in the same league, and it costs a fraction of the price. One sniff and sip of Fausto Albanesi's top Montepulciano, and you can tell he is a man on a mission.
Produced from old, low-yielding, organically farmed vines planted in 1972, this sees 20 months of aging in French barriques, new and used. The resulting wine possesses surreal depth and complexity, along with wonderful harmony of extraction and alcohol. That's right, this is a concentrated and big red wine that drinks with incredible ease....be careful. The aromas of blackberry, black cherry, clove, allspice, and cocoa lead into a ripe and fine-grained palate of pure bliss. Drinking great now with a 30-60 minute aeration, this will definitely evolve and improve over the next decade.
I gladly took my 7 case allocation this year, and once those 84 bottles are gone, we'll wait for the 2021 to arrive. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes one of those wines I can only get 2-3 cases of per year. It's that good. Needless to say, get on this one folks!
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Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville