Masciarelli, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOC (Italy) 2018

 This wine took a couple of days to win me over.  It is not made every year, and it comes from a densely planted single vineyard at around 400 meters of elevation.  My initial notes said “NOPE” — my usual indicator that something is well out of balance.  I have learned, however, that an initial dismissal is always worthy of a recheck after significant airing.  The wood tones that were off-putting to me early on folded in after two days sitting in a half empty recorked bottle, exposing powerful fruit and layered brown spice character with no signs of oxidation.  So, if you are looking for an unusual cellar trophy to show off down the road, this is a fine candidate.  It is always good to be reminded to avoid snap judgments.