Massimo Romeo

Massimo Romeo has built up his family estate in Gracciano, one of the very best zones in Montepulciano, since the early 1990s to its current size of 5 hectares. The unusually high gravel content of the soil, together with the lofty position of the vineyards, bestow on the wines a hearty, structured character.

Massimo favours the traditional indigenous grape varieties, and this has meant that the little-known Mammolo and Pulcinculo grapes have been planted alongside the more famous Prugnolo Gentile clone of Sangiovese, Malvasia and Canaiolo. Production is tiny here with a total production of only about 1,100 cases, with the wines definitely benefiting from bottle maturation.

Importantly since the 1999 vintage, Massimo has drawn on the expertise of consultant oenologist Andrea Mazzoni to further fine-tune his wines, making them more perfumed, darker & contemporary. The rustic Canaiolo is being replaced in the vineyard by the brighter & darker Colorino; partial carbonic maceration at the outset of fermentation have given more perfume; 500 litre french barrels (tonneau) are gradually edging out the large slavonian 'botte', bringing malolactic fermentation temperatures, & hence volatile acidities, down; monthly battonage during elevage has added an extra gear of succulence; while less time in oak (2 years now, not 3) has retained more of the juicy fruit component than before. Yet all the while Massimo holds true to Prugnolo Gentile, Sangiovese, Mammolo & Colorino blend, rather than risk compromising the identity & integrity of the Montepulciano wine by adding 'ameliorative' varietals such as Merlot