Return to Abruzzo

Two years ago I visited the family-run winery named Italo Pietrantonj, which I recalled fondly in two posts (here and here.)

I was eager to return to Vittorito, a tiny village in the province of L'Aquila, and not just or mainly with my blogging hat on, because I wanted to assess the wines again. And I wanted to renew acquaintance with a charming, warm family.

Photo above: Sisters Alice and Roberta Pietrantonj

The person who helped arrange the visit was Roberta Pietrantonj, one of two daughters who have taken over the day-to-day operations from their father, Nicola.  Roberta handles the business and marketing end of things, while her sister Alice is the agronomo or vineyard manager. 

They have their work cut out for them.  Their scattered land holdings are all in fairly rugged hill country with soils that are high in clay and limestone; the soil is sharp with stones.  The family has about 50 hectares (125 or so acres).  The grapes are almost entirely regional varieties like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- Italy's other classic red -- as well as Trebbiano (my enthusiasm dampens), Malvasia and Pecorino (a favorite of mine).  There are great day/night temperature differences, creating more aromatic fruit and wine.  The ever-drier climate has forced the family to use some irrigation in their best vineyards.  The total wine production, figured in bottles, totals some 700,000, though much is produced in 5-liter demijohns and "bag-in-box" for both national and European (mainly German) consumption.

Above: Vittorito. Lunchtime rush

They produce large amounts of excellent olive oil, some it from very rare, localized olive varieties. 

Signora Mirella maintains a parklike garden

The Pietrantonjs aren't among my favorite abruzzesi for bulk wines, though. Their 75cl bottles show the very high potential for this less-renowned section of Abruzzo, especially in their various lines of Montepulcianos.  Their Cerano (we had the 2004)

is a subtle, age-worthy wine with a brick-red color, a complex nose and equal complexity on the palate, with cedar, graphite and chalky notes mated with the sapidity and lively fruit that make a good Montepulciano d'Abruzzo so drinkable and such a wonderful match with almost any dish.  Even their base bottled wine, the Vicenne line, is remarkably clean and refreshing, which is no small feat in a price category ($10 or under retail in US) that I associate with chemical smells, suspicious color and the taste of wood chips. 

The Pietrantonjs use wood judiciously.  The Vicenne line touches no wood, and the top end Cerano spends about 6 months in large, seasoned oak botti.  The intermediate lines may spend time in medium-sized tonneaux, but the wine never leaves you feeling either rasp-mouthed or as if you'd been gnawing on a popsicle stick.

I'll give you more information about the wines themselves in a later post.  As it is, I'm feeling fairly rotten -- one of those great summer colds we all hear so much about -- so rotten that I didn't have a scrumptious lunch at some lungomare place in Naples today.  Tomorrow is, as they say, another day.

Some of the Pietrantonj wines.  Several are soon to become available in restricted areas of the US, Roberta told us.

Why the J at the end of the name? And how do you pronounce it?  The name was once, many eons ago, Pietrantonii.  The double I's were either a plural form (from Pietranonio) or a genitive one (as in Latin Pietrantonii -- of Pietrantonius).  The "i lunga" (J) was an abbreviation.  You pronounce it like a mundane old "i".

Part of one the family's largest plots of land -- about 17 hectares, as I recall. Abruzzo is known for one of the greenest, cleanest natural environments in southern Europe. Relatively unknown to Americans unless their families emigrated from there, the region has been discovered by Brits who have been reclaiming deserted old country houses.  It's much cheaper in Abruzzo than in Tuscany or Umbria.

You can't tell from here but they use the cordone speronato method of training the vines.

Alice tending her brood.  She didn't want me to tell you this, but I just have to -- it's so cute:

"I talk to my vines..."

By the way, isn't this better than looking at some gnarled old character with hair growing out of his ears?

Alice's vineyard assistant, Argo, provided us with some of those obligatory Mondovino moments.  The excitements of lizard-hunting!  This is a candid shot, and Argo seems to be saying, "You paparazzi, leave me alone!"

Comments

[Lisa Qiu]

The sisters looks so happy! Lol a little at Alice's mad Italian glasses. Super LOLz at Argo who doesn't give a FUCK.

Hope you feel better, but you know Argo doesn't give a FUCK.

[Strappo]

Whoa, calmati, Risa Qiu. Whatsa matta witchu?

[Strappo]

BTW those mad big glasses have mad big STARS on them. Very very cool. Yes, even in deepest Abruzzo.