Faraone, Abruzzo

Despite a very modest 12.5% abv, this Colline Teramane DOCG wine punches above its weight, enhanced no doubt by the stupendous 2010 vintage. A luminous lime-green gold, the nose pings with root ginger and citronelle, of candied citrus fruit even. Precise yet unhurried, the palate charms with lime skin zest, with essential oils and sapidity. It’s so exciting to be able to bring Abruzzo wines of this calibre to your attention; to give them the credit they’re due.
David Berry Green

From vines close to the Adriatic coast, and to Giulianova, home to the Faraone family, this modest 12.5 percent white gleams a young gold colour. The tidy but intriguing nose of acacia honey, lemon zest, aniseed, even of mandarin and apple core, is refreshed by Adriatic sea-saltiness.

Unoaked, vinified on its lees for a year, the palate is similarly sapid yet intensely sunny, with pithy citrus, cool white currant, fleshy yet trim and to the point. A wonderful example of those Abruzzese whites, this is perfect with sea fish.
Drink 2016-2025.

Faraone’s story dates back to 1916, first planting Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Passerina in the 1930s and starting to bottle the wines in 1970. Giovanni Faraone makes the wine, aided by his wife Paola and sons, Alfonso and Federico.

Broad, deep, bright mulberry-red; the nose of this late-release, single-vineyard 2008 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is emphatic, with plenty of beady red and black damson fruit, along with sapid sea salt and a whiff of pine. It’s got that tell-tale sooty and menthol ripeness too. The palate is suave, restrained and grown-up, juicy with fleshy damson fruit and raspberry crunch. This is ready to go, complete with molten tannins, lively fruit and freshness.