Marche, Italy
IGT Marche Rosso
Natalino is the third generation winemaker at this excellent estate and his grandfather, Enrico, was a cooper, not a hooper, who founded the estate before passing it down to his son, Gino (you'll see that name on the estate's beautiful entry level Rosso and Verdicchio).
Artù Marche Rosso is a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese, aged for 18 months in wood and another 12 months in bottle. This is a more classically styled red with a fuller body impression. There's strong spices here with black liquorice, blackberry, dark morello cherry and a wild herb component of sage and thyme.
Also, there's a cute puppy on the label which is, honestly, plenty of reason for us to enjoy this one.
Food pairing recommendations include Asian foods with teriyaki sauce or a fun riff on that like Filipino adobo beef, anything with BBQ sauce, like meatloaf or beef brisket, or something homely like shepherd's pie. Or go all in on a meaty pizza for that "it's a weeknight and I don't have the energy (or will) to prep anything" vibe.