We’ve featured the Montefalco region a couple of times
here in ol’ Vine HQ – focusing specifically on the Sagrantino grape and
Sagrantino Montefalco, the wine from the Umbria region I dubbed “the Italian
Heavy Hitter.”
To refresh your memory, the Sagrantino grape has been
grown in Umbria at least as far back as the mid 1500’s, with some scant records
indicating it may have been grown as early as the turn of the millennium. This
grape, grown primarily for sacramental and religious festival wines, was almost
wiped out until the early 1990’s, when growers were able to gain a classified
status for the grape and expanded the production.
On its own, Sagrantino creates enormous, tannic reds
which have the highest concentration of polyphenols like resveratrol which are
the compounds that give red wine its health-related benefits. It’s also the
most tooth-staining varietal that I’ve ever happened across, just as a warning.
In many regions, heavily tannic grapes are often blended with lighter varietals
-- and the juice can be from either red or white grapes – to balance tannin and
acidity in big wines or to create wines that are more approachable to the
general public.
In neighboring Tuscany, the winemakers there blended
their native Sangiovese grapes with merlot, cabernet, and other red wines to
create the now-ubiquitous Supertuscans. Borrowing from that model, the Umbrians
created Montefalco Rosso, a lighter-styled red wine which features Sagrantino
in the blend. Since Sagrantino itself makes for big, honkin’ wine – a little of
it goes a long way in the blend.
Also, grapes like Sagrantino tend to be fairly expensive
to produce. Most Sagrantino Montefalco start at around $40 and go up front
there. Winemakers like to turn a profit, and blending can help them produce
quantities of wine at a lower price point to help with the bottom line.
I sampled two bottles of this Umbrian blend – the Colpetrone 2011 Montefalco Rosso and the Tenute
Lunelli 2010 “Ziggurat” Montefalco Rosso. Both blends featured 70%
Sangiovese and 15% Sagrantino. The Colpetrone rounds out the blend with 15%
Merlot, while the Ziggurat goes with 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Both Montefalco Rosso are considerably lighter than the
big, bombin’ Sagrantino Montefalco, but they’re still wines of considerable
stature. They also both need air – lots of it. While these wines are marketed
as flexible food wines for picnics, I’d recommend letting them breathe a bit
before heading out on your jaunt. Even if all you do is pour the bottle into a
carafe and pour it right back, that’s still going to put you in a better place,
tastewise.
The two wines were quite a study in contrast initially.
The Colpetrone hearkened back to its bigger, burlier 100% Sagrantino cousin,
hitting the palate with big dark fruits and fairly heavy tannin. The Sweet
Partner in Crime had a similar reaction to that wine, as well – in that she
thought it was too big to be pleasant. The Ziggurat, by contrast, was much more
along the lines of a bigger Chianti, full of cherries and chalk. We found it to
be much easier to drink.
Over the next couple of days with some different meals,
we found the character of both wines changed. The Colpetrone softened
remarkably. The heaviness lifted, yielding some smoky, raspberry tinged flavors
that became nicely balanced. The Ziggurat, by contrast, deepened as it had its time
in air. Some spicy, clove-like flavors emerged and the cherries took on a fuller,
tarter aspect.
While both wines were good, I’d probably give the edge
here to the Colpetrone on overall style points. Once both wines fully opened, I
thought that it had the more interesting balance of flavor, tannin, and general
drinking interest. Either would be solid choices with either big red sauces and
roasted meats (perhaps a beef brasciole like the one we made to test the wines),
or charcuterie boards with aged cheeses.
Both wines retail for around $20, so if you want to get a
sense of what the big deal is with Sagrantino, you could ease into it through
one of these Montefalco Rosso. If you’re looking for a burlier Italian wine,
this might be one quality option.
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