This is a very nice and sophisticated expression from Valle Reale. Smooth and clean, the 2017 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo shows some ripe fruit and black olive. It's easy-drinking and rich and ends with a touch of sweet cinnamon, a simple enough profile to enjoy with a hamburger topped with caramelized onions. This is the estate's entry-level red, and because of a huge snowstorm in the winter of 2017, some of the fruit used here is declassified from the top-performing vineyards. The results are fresh, naked and transparent. An ample 108,000 bottles were made.