A bottle of Blackenbrook Nelson Montepulciano 2021

Blackenbrook

Montepulciano 2021 - library stock

Find one of Italy’s most intense and spicy wines made right here in Tasman. Every drop of this ink-coloured wine will fill your mouth with cherry and spice goodness. 

 

        $39.00 NZD

        Tasting Notes

        This Montepulciano is packed with ripe berries, cocoa and wood-smoke rounded off by fine tannins and a long, tactile finish - a wine of great character and class.

        Read Winemaker’s Notes
        Winemaker Daniel Schwarzenbach standing in front of white Blackenbrook wine boxes. He is smiling, wearing an olive green jersey and a cap.

        Rich, bold and incredibly rare

        Just three rows or 0.2ha of this savoury Italian red are growing in our vineyard – and only 9ha in all of New Zealand.

        Montepulciano produces large, almost seedless berries of an inky black colour. With its extremely thick skins it’s well protected against disease, meaning we can pick the fruit about three weeks later than any other variety. It’s this late autumn ripening that gives us the unique colour and flavour concentration.

        Our Montepulciano will cut through some of the meatiest meats like New Zealand game or Italian hare ragu, and will also pair nicely with rich, roasted winter vegetables - enjoy!

        A large bunch of dark Montepulciano grapes with bright yellow leaves in the background

        Reviews

        94/100 Cameron Douglas MS, camdouglasms.com

        Aromas of dark berries and dark clay earth complexity, some toasty wood layers and moments of spice and mystery. On the palate equally fruity and enticing with a fruit core that mirrors the bouquet, lots of boysenberry and black cherry then firm tannins and back bone of acidity for palate feel and power.

        A lovely wine with an array of textures and flavours, great with food and cheeses. Lengthy finish, well made and ready to drink from 2024 through 2034.

        4½ Stars Michael Cooper, michaelcooperwines.com

        Still unfolding, the 2021 vintage was estate-grown and matured for a year in seasoned French oak barrels. Full-coloured and freshly scented, it is mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, with strong, vigorous, berryish, spicy flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, and supple tannins. Best drinking 2025+.

        Ursula Schwarzenbach chatting with a customer at a wine tasting. In the background there is a large Blackenbrook sign.

        The season

        Mother Nature threw some hefty challenges at us with unsettled weather and gale-force wind in spring followed by a hail storm on
        Boxing Day.  

        The humid and cold conditions in December made pollination difficult, resulting in small bunches with far less berries than usual.

        Luckily we dodged the worst of the hail storm in December and only the Pinot Noir suffered damage. 

        In January the weather finally turned and the sun kept smiling down on us right into harvest. On 15 March we started picking beautifully healthy grapes of outstanding fruit concentration. Just smaller than wished for volumes…