Showing posts with label Montefalco Rosso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montefalco Rosso. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2016

#WineStudio Online Session 32 with Tanaro River Imports Concludes with Tannins Galore

January's edition of #WineStudio featured George Tita and Tanaro River Imports, an importer specializing in small producers in northern Italy and France.  The first two segments covered excellent wines from Alsace as well as the Roero and Diano d'Alba regions of Italy's Piedmont.This week we finished with one more wine from the Piedmont as well as a Montefalco Rosso from Umbria.

Germano Angelo Azienda 2010 Nebbiolo d’Alba “Visette” Piemonte, Italy ($24, 14.5%) is "a Barolo without the price tag". Germano Angelo is the name of the winery's founder and a little more than a century later Davide Germano is now the winemaker. This is a baby Barolo as it is aged six months less than a traditional Barolo. The grapes are also sourced from three areas ( La Morra, Barolo and Monforte) where "Visette" is a name of a parcel in Monfort. And although once heavy farmed,  Nebbiolo now accounts for only 6% of Piedmont grape production. This Nebbiolo is a structured wine with many layers of dark black fruit, tobacco and dried figs. It finishes with long stringy tannins. At $24 this is a great value.


Azienda Agricola Romanelli 2012 Montefalco Rosso Umbria, Italy ($24, 15%) was made using the legacy Montefalco Rosso DOC regulations requireing 60-70% Sangiovese, 10-15% Sagrantino, 15-30% other authorized varietals. In this case Merlot and Cabernet. In 2015 these regulations were changed to remove the other varieties so that the final percentages must consist of 60-80% Sangiovese and 10-25% Sagrantino. The former grape is is indigenous to Umbria and is found only around the hilltop town of Montefalco and is tannic. And I mean tannic, the most tannic of all Italian varieties. Devis Romanelli is the young family winemaker and according to Tita is "doing important work on understanding terroir, skin contact, barrel use, etc. to push the quality of wine of Umbri". This wine shows plenty of structure starting with a leathery tobacco aroma, faint black cherry fruit, and very noticable dirty chewy tannins - finish is not harsh as in a Sagrantino di Montefalco. Pair with fatty meats.

Monday, October 5, 2015

#SipMontefalco Virtual Tasting: The Wines of Montefalco

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.