Blackenbrook Nelson Montepulciano 2021 $38
Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach of Blackenbrook have a thing about giving alternative varieties a go, and Montepulciano (from the Abruzzo region in Italy) is one of them. They figured it’d enjoy living in Nelson and it does. Firm tannins, dark rhubarb and cocoa notes are bound together by leather and smoke. I’ve tasted riper examples of this wine before, but 2021 was a tricky vintage, so it may take a little longer for this to knit together, but I’m sure it’ll smooth out and mature nicely over the coming years.
