I just returned from Italy, and although I didn’t go to many of the popular wine regions or sample a ton of new wines there, I did have one that I thought was a standout. It was a 2008 Testarossa Montepulciano that we bought at a restaurant for about 18 euro. I’m a total newbie when it comes to Italian wines, so it was a fresh experience for me. It had a strong fruit-forward flavor and a lot of overall depth; sort of rough tannins that would probably smooth out a bit more, but were not harsh and carried the flavor from start to a long finish. It paired great with the bucatini all’amatriciana, and has been stuck in my mind ever since.
So my question is, what other Montepulciano D’Abruzzo wines would you recommend that are both accessible/distributed, and not crazy expensive ($40 or less)?
Probably the best with national distribution is Illuminati. Also look for Faraone, Agriverde and Valle Martello but you may not find them in a lot of markets.
For an out of body experience, Emidio Pepe or Valentini but these are $$$
Just north of the Abruzzo, in le Marche you’ll find outstanding Montepulciano based wines from many producers in the Rosso Conerò DOCG.
Illuminati’s Zanna is a wonderful bottle.
I have to echo the Zanna endorsements. Great stuff and the first thing that came to mind after reading the subject line. The last bottles I had were from 2001 that were consumed three or four years ago. Really compelling drink. Need to remember that for later.
That said, there area many other producers that don’t get this sort of singular notoriety, but are nonetheless worth checking out. Even the ones that don’t soar as high are still nice juice. Would be interesred to try a few more unknown (to me) gems from the region.
Months back I discovered a few bottles of 2000 Farnese Montepulciano d’Abruzzo lurking under a coat of dust with a local store that still had the decade old price tag. Not Zanna, but at less than a half or third the price, it still reminds me of why I’m so fond of these wines.
I’m not familiar with Illuminati. Zaccagnini is everywhere and can be good. I know I’ve written up a few on my blog, but can’t recall which at the moment. Pepe is of course excellent, but they’re about $75 on release and actually NEED 10 years or so of age. Finding an aged one at retail is easy, but the price will be over $100.
Roberto is right on Rosso Conero. Umani Ronchi makes a few great bottlings.
Fattoria Le Terrazze Sassi Neri from Marche is a good one.
Byron
Montepulciano is my go to wine when I’m forced to buy wine in a non wine store.
Zaccagnini is always solid, Masciarelli basic bottling is simple and reliable the better bottling can be excellant.
I’ve had really great wines from Monti, but have not seen or tasted them in a looong time.
I generally will take the freshest stuff, even the zip code wines are usually servicable.
I think Montepulciano may be the highest yielding yet good quality grape on the planet AND does well in the heat. Yet there seems to be not ONE vine in California. I think if they planted the central valley to it you’d have a third spigot on your sink for red wine…
Except they’d oak the hell out of it and charge $30+ for them. Just like they tried to do with “Sangiovese”. 
The Masciarelli Marina Cvetic bottling is quite good.
Unti’s (Dry Creek Valley) montepulciano is delicious. Great combo of fruit, tannins and acidity (I think the one I had was the 2009).
I tried the '10 Unti ($27 from K&L) recently and thought it was excellent.
I know of two other vineyards that have some. Might be a reason I know that, and not telling… 
2009 Torre dei Beati Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Cocciapazza
“One of the best montepulcianos I’ve tried in years, magically combining power, purity and elegance.”
IWC
Valentini and Emidio Pepe are among th very best …
Will seek out the Unti offering - I have been meaning to try their wines and will find that one. Thanks everyone else for the great suggestions. Glad to hear it’s a varietal with some broad popularity, and I’m excited to try some more of these.
Another vote for the Unti version.