In Jewish texts, Samael is better known as the ‘Angel of Death.’ It is believed that Samael is both good and evil in that he does the work of God but desires man to do evil. Samael is viewed as a seducer as was first spoken of in the Talmud as assuming the role of the serpent and tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden. The correlation here is that Montepulciano can be a very alluring and seductive grape that lends itself to pleasurable drinking. That said, often time Montepulciano is simple, thin and insipid. It is both good and bad.
This is 100% Montepulciano, sourced from a steep (for Abruzzi standards) vineyard facing southeast toward the sea. 2009 was the inaugural vintage and 2011 pushes the wine to another level in terms of complexity. The grapes were handpicked and fermented in stainless steel tanks before being racked into large 20hL Slavonian barrels. This is a value at all levels and this continues the range of wines under the Poggio Anima label.
- Region: Regional Italy
- Varietal: 100% Montepulciano
- Vintage: 2011
- Vineyard: Cantina Sagro
- Vine Age: 37 years old
- Yield: 3.1 tons per acre
- Soil Type: Calcerous Marl over Sand
- Oak: 6 months in neutral Slavonian botti
- Production: 1,000 cases
