Fabulas "Fecerunt" Pecorino Terre di Chieti 2024

Fabulas is a group of farmers and friends who have made it their goal to improve the quality of wine coming out of Abruzzo, which has been dominated by cheap, industrial Montepulciano for many years. In contrast, the Fabulas wines check almost every box in terms of natural certification, including EU organic, Demeter Biodynamic, and vegan. Their vines are part of a polycultural farm at about 2000 ft above sea level, protected on one side by a mountainous national park, and influenced on the other by the Adriatic Sea, just 20 miles away. The ‘Fecerunt’ which comes from the Latin for ‘we are building’ is made from 100% Pecorino. It has a salty sizzle on the finish and it’s hard to not think of the famous sheep milk’s cheese of the same name — in fact, the grape is named for those same sheep, who apparently love to eat this variety  — but this is slightly more thirst-quenching. Fleshy orange peel and minty pear notes come together to build a very delicious and versatile wine. Jonathan Kem