De Fermo "Prologo" Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Italy 2021

Named “Prologo” because it was the first wine Stefano and Eloisa ever bottled, this stunning wine shows off Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in its full dynamic range. From older vines picked last during harvest, “Prologo” ferments spontaneously in a combination of concrete tank and open-top wooden cask; a staggering two-month maceration slowly extracts every element the couple’s intensive biodynamic farming brings to the fruit. It spends 18 months in 20-hectoliter Stockinger casks before being bottled without fining or filtration, and is released several years later than the rest of the lineup.

Darker in its fruit and somber in its carriage, “Prologo” nonetheless displays remarkable poise and elegance, remaining fresh and nimble despite its immense concentration. Its solar character is offset beautifully by a cool, stern minerality that broadens on the finish and promises to blossom further with age.