Montello Rosso DOCG wine guide
Montello Rosso DOCG, also called just Montello, is a full-bodied, elegant red wine, the new “bet” of Venetian enology. But it is also the last Veneto area to have been awarded and protected with the DOCG, for a classic production based on the Bordeaux vine, obviously including Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. A courageous choice that goes to enhance an area (Trevigiano) where red wine has always been marginal given the excessive power of Prosecco, but a glimmer for the future has been glimpsed and therefore they have rightly defined boundaries, blends and disciplines. A fairly strict disciplinary that requires 18 months (9 months in wooden barrels and 9 in the bottle) of aging for the Montello Rosso DOCG and 24 months for the Montello Rosso Superiore. In fact, Montello Rosso is a DOCG based on a proven blend, but which certainly needs a long refinement to express its full potential and allow all the extract and structure of wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon to round out. and find balance.
Disciplinary of the Montello Rosso DOCG
We said Bordeaux grapes and then let’s see the composition of this noble red wine from Veneto. Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone and is present in percentages that can range from 40 to 70%, but obviously, it is also the most delicate and late variety and therefore waiting for its long maturation in difficult years is dangerous. This is why Merlot, more rounded, the Cabernet Franc which matures earlier and has an incredible smoky charm and we end up with the Carmenere, which is certainly not unknown in the Italian winemaking northeast. Just think of the nearby expanses of Friuli, where it finds ideal conditions to become an excellent red wine. This ruddy triad of vines has a considerable weight. It participates in the composition of Montello Rosso DOCG for a percentage ranging from 40 to 60, so it is also excellent for those who love very rich wines.
Organoleptic characteristics of Montello Rosso DOCG
It has a splendid ruby color when young, which tends to garnet and brick as it ages. The beauty of this wine is that you will not find anonymous or watered-down bottles, but only structured, powerful, intense wines. Then you will have to leave them in the cellar for at least 3-7 years, but this is only virtue.
The aromas are those of the forest, blueberries and red pulp, there are spices and even the tertiary aromas begin to be felt and create a sumptuous and enveloping symphony. They are not subtle wines, but powerful and cheeky, full of aromas and suggestions, to which wood and spices are the settings. The ethereal scents of lacquer and fruit in alcohol are there and embellish the bouquet.
On the palate, they are tannic wines, full, vinous as a juice and grumpy when young, but epiphanic when old, with tannins that open in a range of a thousand earthy flavors. Give them time, leave them in the cellar for 10, 15 years and you will have treasures.
Summarizing the Montello Rosso DOCG it is a project still in progress, the area is young for this production of red wines, the vines can age happily, the winemakers’ handle is refined and soon we will have a bottle of a certain age to really have fun. Do not think that it is a clone area of Bordeaux and Bolgheri, here the sea is further away, but the clayey and mineral-filled soils and the good temperature range help to find a certain style and finesse. All you need is patience and a good cellar to store the bottles.
Montello Rosso DOCG food pairings
They are powerful red wines, tannic, full-bodied and rich in spices, herbaceous and smoky notes, combine with grilled meat, classic BBQ preparations such as brisket and pulled pork.