Fantini Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Rose 2021
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Fantini (by Farnese) wines are a reflection of the colors of Abruzzo, painting wonderful landscapes of taste and living for the love of the endless vineyards that are protected by Mount Majella. The vineyards are located on the hillside and stretch from the sea to a soaring 9,843 feet. The vineyards enjoy optimum exposure and an excellent microclimate which explains why the grapes grow so well in this area.
Fantini employs the most advanced technology as it is absolutely necessary to (enable the features of the grapes to be transferred intact to the bottle). It is Farnese’s belief that excessive enthusiasm while working in the vineyards is pointless if the winery is unable to maintain certain standards when bottling. In the winery’s words, “We believe we cannot produce a great wine without constant supervision on behalf of expert winemakers which is the reason why in each vintage six successful winemakers live in perfect harmony with the grapes that arrive at the winery and are turned into great wines.”
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.