Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (2019)

About this wine

This Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is built on Prugnolo Gentile which is the local name for Sangiovese, with a small addition of Mammolo. On the nose it offers ripe red cherry and raspberry, with floral violet notes and a touch of dried herbs and baking spice. The palate is medium bodied, showing juicy red fruit up front, a rounded mid palate, and firm but polished tannins toward the finish. Acidity is lively enough to keep the wine focused while the texture feels smooth and slightly velvety. The wine was produced in the Montepulciano zone of Tuscany and typically sits around 13.5 percent alcohol, reflecting a classic regional style and straightforward winemaking aimed at fruit clarity and approachability.

About the grape

Sangiovese, known locally in Montepulciano as Prugnolo Gentile, is the backbone of Vino Nobile and in this bottling supplies the primary fruit and structure, often coming from old local selections rather than international clones and grown on the rolling Tuscan hills around Montepulciano. The vine has a long Tuscan history dating back centuries, it is valued for late ripening and its ability to reflect soil and site, and in Vino Nobile regulations it must form the large majority of the blend. Mammolo is a minor traditional Tuscan variety included in small amounts to lend a distinctive violet fragrance and aromatic lift, it survives in scattered old vines in the region and is used sparingly in this wine to perfume the Sangiovese base rather than to add weight or tannin.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ Poggio alla Sala is historically linked to the Gattavecchi family who helped found the Vino Nobile consorzio and made the estate one of Montepulciano's recognizable labels
• 🌸 The 2019 bottling blends local Sangiovese with Mammolo, a tiny Tuscan variety famous for lending a natural violet aroma to the wine
• 👑 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano carries DOCG status, which marks it as one of Italy's long established noble wines from a single hill town
• ⭐ Some 2019 releases from this estate earned high points from international critics, making the vintage both collectible and a common entry for tasting clubs
• 🍇 Bottles from Poggio alla Sala have been marketed under labels like Parceto and Reserve, showing the estate's practice of singling out top vineyards for special bottlings

Palate profile

Producer

Poggio al Sale is a historic vineyard and label associated with Tenute Piccini, a long established Tuscan wine group. The Poggio al Sale name is used for wines made from vineyards around the Valiano and Montalcino areas, including a Brunello di Montalcino bottling that highlights Sangiovese from selected parcels. The site has been part of Piccini family holdings and producer projects that emphasize traditional Tuscan varieties and accessible expressions of regional terroir. In recent decades the wines under the Poggio al Sale name have been distributed internationally, often positioned as good value introductions to classic Tuscan styles.