On the nose vanilla ice cream with sour cherries. The tannins are firm and leave you with a dry mouth. The lingering aftertaste is pleasantly bitter, an interesting contrast to the smooth fruity aroma.
Tintilia del Molise is one of the newest DOC of Italy. It has been created for the Molise region of central-southern Italy in 2011, right before national governments would lose ultimate control over the way wine regions are defined and run in the European Union (including the Italian DOC/G titles). The Tintilia del Molise was established along two dozen other DOC and twenty new DOCG, all given in 2011. Beyond that, nearly every denomination made changes to its existing “disciplinare”.
Tintila del Molise DOC covers varietal reds made from the black-skinned grape Tintilia, whose wines tend to have a ruby-red color and to be full bodied, with pronounced, yet soft, tannins. They are mostly high in alcohol, which is usually balanced by their highly aromatic and juicy nature. Typical flavours include prunes, plums, sour cherries, licorice and black pepper.
Although Molise lacks the long-standing winemaking tradition enjoyed by other Italia regions, I find this wine well-made and highly agreeable. At 15 EUR a bottle, it is a wine definitely worth trying.
Country: Italy
Region: Molise
Grapes: Tintilia
Type: Red
Vintage: 2015
Producer: Di Majo Norante
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5