This is a staggering wine. From the most famed region and style in Umbria, Montefalco, made from its indigenous grape variety, Sagrantino, this wine will show you why the whole region deserves a good deal more of our attention.
Vast in scope, gigantic in structure, with lush soft tannins and a mass of bramble fruit, overripe cherry, strawberries, blueberry, currants and delicious, integrated spices. It is a huge glass of wine and definitively benefits from a really decent decanting.
The winery itself is no less fascinating. Built by the son of a German jeweler in 2010, it is nearly entirely organic, situated in the higher altitude regions of the Umbrian Apennines and is totally energy neutral.
Their approach to the wines and to the Sagrantino grape variety is one that seeks to tame the power and celebrate its elegance. This is done in the Rosso Pomontino by using very high quantity of Sangiovese (80%) to balance the remaining Sagrantino. But for this wine it's something different. Not only is this 100% Sagrantino, it is Sagrantino from the estate's best and oldest vines, whole berry picked and fermented with natural, wild yeasts and aged for 36 months in 300-litre Slavonian oak barrels, before it's aged in bottle for a further two years (that's FIVE YEARS of aging before you get to drink the wine - it'll walk out of the bottle!)
The sustainability is also present in their philosophy: native yeasts are used and the wines are neither fined, nor filtered. The result is an enticing and elegant wine with notes of pomegranate, redcurrant, sour cherry and blackberry.
And though the wines of Montefalco are not that well-known here, they have been up and coming for years and have a strong following in top Italian circles.
Try this and become a believer!
Region: Umbria
Country: Italy
Grape(s): Sagrantino
Style: Structured, Profound, Powerful, Intense, Iconic, Full, Fruity, Elegant, Complex, Broad
Best food matches: Pork, Pasta, Lamb, Game, Fine Dining, Charcuterie
Alcohol: 15.5%
