Cantine Cipressi, San Felice del Molise

While describing the remoteness and lack of development of Molise (a small mountainous region sandwiched between Abruzzo and Puglia on the Adriatic coast) in their excellent book Vino Italiano, the Regional Wines of Italy, Lynch and Bastianich lament that “...as of yet we’ve got no Molisano mountain wine to sample in the United States”. Well, it seems they will need to be editing the next edition! With old vines at over 500 meters elevation, Cipressi is the biggest and perhaps best producer of DOC Molise Tintilia, a local variant of Bovale Grande Nero that offers intense violet and spice aromas, a big mouthfeel with hearty dark fruit and a soft, enveloping finish. They also produce a broad range of wines from the Terre degli Osci zona (named for the pre-Roman inhabitants of the region, the Oscans) at wallet friendly pricing:

Cipressi Terre degli Osci Bianco Venas 2006, Molise   Sold Out, New Vintage Soon!

100% Trebbiano, round in the mouth with more fruit than most Abruzzese Trebs, this is a real winner and beautifully labeled as well.