Di Majo Norante Ramitello - Majorly Good

An excellent blend of Aglianico and Montepulciano, the Di Majo Norante Ramitello Biferno Rosso.

85% Montepulciano and 15% Aglianico from the Ramitello vineyard in Molise, Italy. The wine is aged in a combination of stainless steel and French 225L barriques for 18 months and another 6 months in the bottle before release. It has just 2.0 g/L of residual sugar.

Sample submitted for review. The Di Majo Norante Ramitello has an SRP of $19 and is available for as low as $12. Imported by Winebow.

Biferno, located in the wine region of Molise in Southern Central Italy is one of the smallest wine regions in the country. Its location certainly sounds promising -- in between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. Montepulciano is the primary red grape grown in this area and while I'm a big fan of Montepulciano, I'm an even bigger fan of the relatively uncommon blend of Montepulciano and Aglianico, which is what we have today.

We've reviewed a number of these blends over the years and even this same wine, but the last time we did that was all the way back to the 2009 vintage. Let's check out the 2014!

The 2014 Di Majo Norante Ramitello Biferno Rosso opens a bit shy on the nose but notes of dark berry, plum, a little leather, a little bit of an earthy pine needle note and even a bit of pomegranate soon develop. Tasting shows plenty of smooth, rich and juicy dark fruit in this tannic, full-bodied wine that also features wonderful touches of spice and earth. It ends dry, grippy and long on the savory finish of dark fruit and licorice. Excellent! It's a somewhat unusual blend but one I've always loved and this is a great example.

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