In the mountainous zone of east central Italy, the Abruzzo region manages a simplified wine classification system with two principal offerings, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. While these prolific DOCs (in 2003, the subzone of Colline Teramane was accorded the DOCG designation for its Montepulciano) turn out numerous banal expressions of their eponymous grapes, there are two winemakers—the late Edoardo Valentini (he passed away in April of 2006 at the age of 72) and Emidio Pepe—who have demonstrated the remarkable inherent potential not only of Montepulciano, but of the lowly Trebbiano as well. In fact, the work of Abruzzo’s foremost practitioners has enabled the wines derived from these grapes to share the company of Italy’s most esteemed natives.

One of Italy’s most sought-after wines—meriting trophy status in the cellar of many Italian wine collectors—Valentini’s Montepulciano is a provocatively rustic rendition crafted from late-harvest grapes. Regarded as one of the world’s most elite and accomplished red wines, it is crafted exclusively in exceptional vintage years. This qualitative stricture and its minute production figure render it one of the most difficult cult bottlings to acquire. While delivering a concentrated expression upon release, as with Valentini’s Trebbiano, it requires several years to develop its full profile; a significant period of aeration is requisite to approach the wine meaningfully prior to that time. Vintages that are held in particular esteem are ’85, ’88, ’90, ’92, and ’97.

In recent years, producers have sought to maximize Montepulciano’s rich core of fruit through aging in barrique and rigorous processes of selection, producing concentrated offerings. Valentini, however, pursued an interpretation unto itself, quite literally transforming the commonplace into the transcendent. At present, Valentini’s son, Francesco, continues to produce the estate’s wines in accordance with the exacting standards established by his father.

Valentini’s varietal reclamation is particularly impressive in the case of the ubiquitous Trebbiano, which is the source of several vapid whites produced throughout Italy’s expanse. Valentini’s Trebbiano—which is believed to derive from a clone of the grape exclusive to Valentini—is something of an anomalous character, therefore, bearing virtually no relation to its vinous source. Valentini, however, believed that Trebbiano actually proffered the most profound elucidation of Abruzzo’s terroir and character. Under the regal regimen of this “Lord of the Vines”—a treatment based on closely guarded artisanal methods and a strict process of selection—it realizes compelling form.