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Torre Raone, San Zopito Terre dei Vestini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2012
RedItaly2012
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-01-12 · Published 2026-09-17 · Updated 2026-09-17
At a glance
No critic scores are registered on Vivino for this wine.
Market note: Wine.com shows earlier vintages of this cuvée (2010, 2011) having sold, now out of stock, for US$21.99 and US$17.99 respectively (wine.com, checked Sept 2026) — no retail price could be confirmed for the 2012 vintage itself.
What this wine is
Torre Raone was founded in 1997 by Luciano, a farmer from Tollo, in Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo. On a 350m hillside between the Adriatic Sea and Gran Sasso National Park, the estate farms 35 hectares organically, ICEA-certified, and since 2014 winemaker Dante has overseen both vineyard and cellar. The consistent philosophy is to let the native Montepulciano grape speak for itself.
The cuvée's name, San Zopito, comes from the town's own story. A child martyr buried in Rome's catacombs around 300 AD, his relics — an arm and a skull — were donated to Loreto Aprutino by Pope Clement XI in 1711. Legend says that on Pentecost of that same year, a farmer named Carlo Parlione kept working his fields despite the relic procession passing by, until one of his oxen broke away, approached the procession, and knelt as if in prayer. Townspeople took it as a miracle, and 315 years later the festival still recreates the scene every Pentecost Monday, with a trained white ox — nicknamed the "Cavaliere Bianco" (White Knight) — dressed in ceremonial garb and kneeling at stops around town.
The label reads "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo," a name people frequently confuse with Tuscany's Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. They share nothing but a word. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the Montepulciano grape grown in the Abruzzo region (DOC); Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a wine from the hilltop town of Montepulciano in Tuscany, made from Sangiovese (locally called Prugnolo Gentile) — it contains no Montepulciano grape at all. A single preposition — d'Abruzzo versus di Montepulciano — swaps the grape and the place.
What the world says
This 2012 vintage has been rated by 117 people on Vivino, averaging 4.3 — slightly above the 4.1 average across all 1,246 ratings for the label. No critic scores are on file.
The flavor keywords lead with oak, vanilla and chocolate (66 mentions), followed by blackberry and plum (58) and leather and mushroom (50). Structure: acidity 3.7/5, intensity 3.0, tannin 3.0 — a balanced, light-medium profile.
"Excellent Montepulciano, dense but not heavy, dry but not austere. Dark fruit, laurel, dark chocolate. Excellent longevity, needs half an hour to open up." — Vivino review, Nov 2018, 4.5 stars
"Vanilla, leather, plum, licorice. Nice round tannins." — Vivino review, Nov 2020, 4.0 stars
The recommended drinking window is 2014–2024, and I opened this bottle in January 2020, right in the middle of it.
How I drank it
12 January 2020, 4 stars. "Velvety burgundy color. Silky and velvety dark fruit, cassis, currant, plum, oak, vanilla, chocolate, raisin, violet. I worried that at 12 years old a Montepulciano — a grape known for drinking young — might be past its best, but the light-medium body was full of aroma and the whole performance was remarkably smooth. The currant note in particular was very strong." That worry about aging a grape usually drunk young stands out — and the Vivino structure data backs up why it worked: acidity 3.7 and tannin 3.0 are both mild for a wine this age, matching what I found in the glass.
That same day I also logged Kracher Noble Reserve Trockenbeerenauslese (4 stars) — an evening that went from an Italian red to an Austrian botrytis dessert wine. I scored it 0.3 below the community average of 4.3, though nothing in the note reads as a complaint — the strongest, most specific impression I left was simply how loud the currant note was.
Vivino community data
2012 vintage rating distribution (117 ratings, average 4.3)
| 5★ | 30 (26%) | |
| 4★ | 75 (64%) | |
| 3★ | 11 (9%) | |
| 2★ | 1 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 0 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 66 | oak 24 · vanilla 20 · chocolate 11 · tobacco 5 · dark chocolate 2 |
| Black fruit | 58 | blackberry 20 · plum 15 · dark fruit 10 · black cherry 3 · blueberry 3 |
| Earth | 50 | leather 18 · earthy 12 · mushroom 6 · balsamic 2 · forest floor 2 |
| Spice | 23 | licorice 9 · pepper 4 · mint 3 · green herbs 2 · rosemary 2 |
| Red fruit | 8 | cherry 5 · red fruit 2 · raspberry 1 |
| Dried fruit | 5 | prune 2 · raisin 2 · dried blackberry 1 |
| Yeast & cream | 3 | cheese 1 · cream 1 · sourdough 1 |
Structure: Acidity 3.7/5 · Intensity 3.0/5 · Tannin 3.0/5 · Sweetness 1.8/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 1246 ratings, average 4.1)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 4.0 | 97 |
| 2016 | 4.2 | 171 |
| 2015 | 4.1 | 144 |
| 2012 | 4.3 | 117 |
| 2011 | 4.1 | 160 |
| 2010 | 4.0 | 139 |
| 2009 | 4.1 | 121 |
| 2008 | 4.2 | 118 |
| 2007 | 3.9 | 35 |
My original note (Vivino, 2020-01-12)
“Velvety burgundy color. Silky and velvety dark fruit, cassis, currant, plum, oak, vanilla, chocolate, raisin, violet. 몬테풀치아노는 젊은 와인이라고 해서 12빈 넘 오래 둔거 아닐까 걱정했지만 light medium body 에 향기가득하고 매우 부드러운 퍼포먼스가 굉장히 좋았다. 특히 까치밥나무열매향이 굉장히 강한 와인이었다.”
Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Torre Raone San Zopito 2012?
A red wine from an organic estate in Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo, made from 100% Montepulciano at 15% alcohol. Vivino: 117 ratings averaging 4.3, with no critic scores on file.
How much does it cost?
The world average price is US$27 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026) (Wine-Searcher, pending). Wine.com shows earlier vintages (2010, 2011) having sold for US$18–22.
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino users suggest beef, veal, pork and pasta. At 3.0/5 intensity, it's light-medium enough for tomato-sauced pasta or grilled meats that don't need a heavy red.
Is Montepulciano d'Abruzzo the same as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
No. They share a name but nothing else. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the Montepulciano grape grown in Abruzzo (DOC); Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a Sangiovese-based DOCG wine from the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany, and contains no Montepulciano grape at all.