Masciarelli -- A Couple of Hits, a Few Misses

You win some, and, sadly, you lose some. Blame oak.

Tenute Agricole Masciarelli can claim to be the leading producer or certainly the most innovative and influential estate in Abruzzo. The rustic wines of that region in Italy were once relegated to strictly local consumption or used to beef up the power and color of wines in France. Gianni Masciarelli, however, decided that the various landscapes of Abruzzo and the native grapes were capable of better things. He began with 2.5 hectares of trebbiano vines owned by his grandfather near the family home in the village of San Martino sulla Marrucina. Gianni’s purpose was to reduce yields, farm sustainably and handle fruit carefully in the winery. His first vintage was 1981.