Last week presented another opportunity to taste several wines from Italy's Montefalco during a
#SipMontefalco virtual tasting. I had previous written about this region under
From St. Francis to DOGC: Umbria's Sagrantino di Montefalco, which describes the history and DOC & DOCG designations. During this tasting, participants sampled DOC Montefalco Rosso and DOCG Sagrantino di Montefalco. At the same time, representatives of the respective wineries joined as online from the Montefalco Town Hall.
Filippo Bartolotta moderated the tasting, guiding us through the wines, wine-making techniques, and questions. One shared character is that all the wines developed wonderfully the second, third, and even fourth days after opening.To learn more about the wines and region visit the
Montefalco Wine Consortium.
- Perticaia Montefalco Rosso DOC 2011 ($28, 12% ABV) -
Sangiovese 70%; Sagrantino 15%; Colorino 15%. Aged 18 months with 12
months in stainless steel and 6 months in the bottle. The Colorino adds color and structure. Descriptor: dark red fruit, texture throughout, a little dirt, and chewy leather tannins.
- Colpetrone Montefalco Rosso DOC 2011 ($19, 14% ABV) -
Sangiovese 70%; Sagrantino 15%; Merlot 15% from Marcellano (Gualdo Cattaneo). 60 % of the wine is aged in stainless steel; the other 40% is aged 12 months in French oak tonneaux and barrique. Descriptor: the
fruit and earth blend seamlessly; smoother tannins.
- Tenuta Castelbuono 'Carapace' Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($37, 15% ABV) - Sagrantino
100% from estate vineyards in Montefalco and Bevagne. Aged 24 months in large oak casks, followed by minimum 12 months in the bottle. Descriptor: complex nose of black fruit and mint; smooth body - heavy tannins.
- Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG 2009 ($45, 14% ABV) - Sagrantino
100% various oak and cement treatment, then bottle aged for 12 months. Descriptor: another with mint on the nose; dried fruit flavor; very firm tannins with long finish.
- Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($40, 15% ABV) - Sagrantino
100% aged new new French oak for 16 months, then refined in bottle minim of 9 months. Descriptor: deep cherry flavor; powerful acid & tannin combo
- Arnaldo Caprai 'Collepiano' Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($60, 14.5% ABV) - Sagrantino
100% aged 22 months in French oak barrique and minimum 6 months in the bottle. Descriptor: jammy blackberry palate; then finishes with huge tannins.
We played around with the wine tasting from the Montefalco region this year and, despite having spent a good deal of time in Tuscany, had never heard of Montefalco. The wines we tried were the Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino and the Perticaia Montefalco Rosso. Lovely to look at, lovely to taste. Thanks.
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