The Wines of Marche, Italy.

Cantina Name:  SILVANO STROLOGO

Wine Name:     JULIUS

Wine Variety:    Rosso Conero

Year Tasted:     2004  

Production:       47000 bottles

The Cònero  is the only real high ground along the the Adriatic coast of Le Marche. Being 572 meters (1,877 feet) it creates a unique micro-climate that has a mixture of cool mountain air and warmer coastal temperatures. 

The Montepulciano vines grown in the area surrounding the Conero, make really good red wines known as   Rosso Cònero. 

The Cantina Silvano Strologo is situated on the south facing slopes of Camerano. He has 11 hectares of vineyards and produces over 60,000 bottles of wine each year. He inherited the vineyard from his father and has been working with one of the regions top Enologists/Agronomists Giancarlo Soverchia.

Julius, in the picture, is named, after Silvano’s father, Sante Giulio
Strologo, who planted the original vines in 1960 and founded the Cantina.

The Julius wine is grown on southern facing slopes at 250m above sea level. When hand picked the ripe grapes are put into small boxes to maintain them in excellent health.  They are soft pressed and then fermented for a total of 20 days, partly in French oak barrels and partly in steel temperature controlled fermentation tanks. After spending additional time in oak barrels they are bottled for 6 months. 

The wine is fantastic, ruby red with violet hues with aromas of fresh fruit, black cherry in particular, and subtle smokey spices.

In the mouth there is good volume with soft tannins, fine and silky and slightly spicy, not bitter  and dry on the palate.Good persistence.

The wine is particularly good value at  under $20 a bottle.