THE STORY
Binomio started off as a challenge in 1998. The idea was to produce a great, structured yet modern Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Fattoria La Valentina and Azienda Agricola Inama developed the project during the first two vintages of ’98 and ’99. Using these wines we started to perfect the recipe in order to get the best from this vine. The operation really took off in 2000 with the purchase of an extraordinary vineyard in Località San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore. This old 4.2-hectare vineyard was planted in the 1970s in a splendid position facing south at an altitude of about 400 metres very near to the Majella National Park.
It had had a rather troubled past and had gone through several hands before ending up as a lot in a legal auction where we were able to buy it. Strangely we were the only ones participating at the auction. In fact, the vineyard was known for its poor production and nobody wanted it!
The vineyard was completely restored in the spring of 2009. The excellent location, an original Montepulciano d’Abruzzo area, the climatic conditions and, above all, the grape variety, an ancient clone called Africa, producing short-tailed bunches with small berries, that resemble the shape of the African continent, have allowed us to produce a superb wine in a short time. Vine cultivation is kept to a minimum, with little weeding and few human interventions. The natural fertile soil means that no fertilizers are needed.
Right from the very beginning we realised that the grapes grown in our vineyard had unique characteristics : subtle hints of wild strawberry and other dark berries, rich in colour, long-lasting flavour and total phenolic maturity.
We have maintained production at about 50 quintals per hectare with limited but regular de-rooting, just like mother nature, in order to achieve a great wine every year. Ideal climatic conditions and good soil composition do the rest. Our production methods faithfully follow a non-invasive approach. Simple wine-making practices that enable us to obtain a fresh and decisive wine that is not too overbearing but is able to age for a period of eighteen months in barriques without being transferred. All carried out with no technological devices nor any fancy productive strategies. We have continually enhanced Binomio over the first ten years of its production, believing it to be a necessary period to express the best characteristics of Abruzzo in a bottle.