Review: 2015 Villa Gemma Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC

By Christopher Null | March 20, 2021 |

Villa Gemma is one of the most iconic parts of the Masciarelli empire, a high-end wine made from 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes “rigorously hand-picked in boxes from the second half of October in the Cave vineyard, in San Martino sulla Marrucina.”

Inky purple in color, this is a monstrous wine that challenges expectations and easily stands up to the heartiest of fare. A core of licorice and dark chocolate finds a lively counterpart in tart black cherries and currants as it develops in the glass, and the tannins are so silky and well-integrated with the (admittedly ultra-black) fruit that it’s hard to put down. Rounded, opulent, and downright gorgeous, it’s big without being overly sweet, and beautiful yet nothing I would describe as delicate. Clearly designed for special occasions, this will probably drink beautifully for the next decade or more.

A / $90 / masciarelli.it