Product Description
94 points Vinous
"The 2015 Pinot Nero Praepositus Riserva speaks of the earth before anything else, as if you can literally smell the gravelly marine soils that these vines grow in. Dark soil tones, olive and minerals slowly evolve into black cherry, with exotic spice and a hint of mint. It’s cool-toned and silky, yet it coats all that it touches with flavors of concentrated red berries, tugging and twisting upon the senses with a sweet and sour sensation that keeps coming back. There are tannins here, and plenty of them, yet they are nearly enveloped by masses of fruit. This is masterfully done, a selection of their best fruit that matures for 18 months in a combination of French barriques (1/3rd new) and tonneaux, yet wood is the last thing you’ll think of while tasting it."
93 points James Suckling
"Blue-fruit, violet and fresh tea-leaf aromas follow through to a medium to full body with firm and silky tannins. Lovely fruit and intensity. Hints of hazelnuts and chocolate at the end. Drink now or hold."
Vinous Reverie Notes
Located in the sleepy little burg of Novacella, in the Isarco River Valley, Abbazia was founded in 1142 by the Augustinian Order of Canons Regular. The Augustians are not monks in the sense that you may be familiar with: they have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to their superiors; but they also work to support themselves as a part of their community. To this end, the Abbey not only grows grapes for winemaking, but also farms apples and vegetables, and there is a small school devoted primarily to studies of viticulture. The abbey’s reputation as a winery is stellar and international. In 2009, Italy’s influential Gambero Rosso named Celestino Lucin, the abbey’s enologist, Winemaker of the Year.
