La Quercia Montonico Santapupa 2023

Region: Abruzzo, Italy

Grape Variety: 100% Montonico

Montonico is a rare sight in Southern Italy, and an even rarer sight in Abruzzo where this week’s first feature comes from. This warm-climate white variety has a long history in the region, and is among the many native grapes championed by Antonio Lamona. If the name does not ring a bell, the name of the winery certainly will, as La Quercia has been our go-to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo for years. The Santapupa line of white wines is Antonio’s passion project, in collaboration with three fellow winemakers who share his principles: no man-made pesticides, minimal intervention, and a focus on indigenous Abruzzese varieties.

This wine is sourced from a single dry-farmed vineyard site south of the mountain town of Teramo. Minimal intervention is used in these high-altitude vineyards, whose steep slopes require all work to be done by hand. In the winery, the emphasis on terroir continues, with no oak or malolactic conversion used in the winemaking process. Only 200 cases of this wine are produced in any given year! When you open this wine, you will want to serve it chilled, but not ice-cold. Pop the cork and you will be greeted immediately with notes of peeled green apple, Sicilian lemon zest, orange blossom, and sea spray. Drink 2025-2027 with grilled red shrimp, blackened snapper, or an apple and kale salad.