The land

Umbria sits in central Italy, north of Lazio and east of Tuscany — Italy’s only completely landlocked wine region. The terrain is hilly, with vineyards typically planted between 200 and 500 metres of elevation on clay-and-limestone soils. The climate is continental with hot summers and cool winters. The region is small in volume but produces some of Italy’s most distinctive wines from a tight set of indigenous grapes.

The appellations

Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG — the prestigious Sagrantino appellation, the most concentrated and tannic of Italian reds. Montefalco Rosso DOC — the Sangiovese-Sagrantino blend, more approachable than pure Sagrantino. Orvieto DOC — the historic central-Italian white appellation, based on Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano. Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG. Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito DOCG — the historical sweet appassimento style of Sagrantino.

Sagrantino

Sagrantino is the most tannic grape in Italy, possibly the most tannic widely-grown grape in the world (by skin tannin measurement). The grape has been grown around Montefalco for centuries and historically was used to make sweet passito wines for religious occasions. The dry varietal style was effectively invented in the late 20th century by Marco Caprai, and the wines have a remarkable structure — deep ruby-purple color, intense black-fruit aromatics, and a tannic spine that requires fifteen to twenty years to fully integrate.

Style of the wines

Sagrantino: blackberry, black plum, dark chocolate, tobacco, leather, with overwhelming tannin and significant aging requirements. Alcohol typically 14.5-15%. Montefalco Rosso (Sangiovese-Sagrantino blend): more approachable, plummy, food-friendly. Orvieto: lemon, green apple, almond — typically the dry style now, though historical Orvieto was often off-dry or sweet.

Vintages to know

2020 — outstanding. 2019 — exceptional. 2016 — legendary.

Producers we know

Arnaldo Caprai (the modern pioneer of Sagrantino), Paolo Bea (the cult natural-wine producer), Tenuta Castelbuono, Tabarrini, Antonelli San Marco, Lungarotti (Torgiano).