Sagrantino is a hearty black grape that comes from the region of Umbria. It tends to make deeply colored, full-bodied, tannic reds with black fruit flavors. This particular bottle is no exception to that!
This bottle’s important details:
The Wine: L’Orma, Montefalco Sagrantino
Vintage (=year): 2006
Producer: Brogal Vini, Vignabaldo
Classified: DOCG (Denominazioe di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
I Paid: 11 Euros
Grape: Sagrantino 100%
Region/Location: Montefalco, Umbria
A.B.V (Alcohol by Volume): 13.5%
Soil: Clay, limestone
Aged: There is no specific information given by the producer, but this wine has seen extensive ageing in oak, no doubt, and probably rested a year or so in the bottle as well before being released.
Recommended Serving Temperature: 16-18 degrees Celsius (room temperature)
My Tasting Notes: This 2006 shows quickly that it’s no baby with its color: a deep ruby that is ever so slightly turning garnet. On the nose there’s an unmistakeable fragrance of blackberry, black cherry, cedar, black pepper, and oak. On the palate you get a pleasantly fullish and pretty sappy mouthful of blackberries and dried petals, with definite black pepper and a hint of blueberry and obviously evident wood. This wine is like swishing around very ripe blackberries that were grown in an oak planter…in a great way, for oak-fans! The tannins are well integrated, especially once the bottle has had a few moments to catch its breath (=let it breath just a bit, an hour at most, before drinking).
The Verdict: This is a very good wine. Why do I say so? Because it has all the characteristics you might expect from a Sagrantino from Montefalco, and is well balanced (=no elements overpower the other). It keeps your interest, and you don’t break a sweat drinking it, which is great considering its age and alcohol content. This is ready to drink now (it’s a 2006, after all), but you should be able to let it sit in your cellar for another few years.
Food Pairing Ideas: This is a dinner wine, meaning that it will go best with a main dish, especially heavier plates like meats (think steak or roasted pork) or Eggplant Parmesan. This would also go well with some aged/hard cheeses like Parmesan. This would not be ideal for light plates like pasta with oil or creamy sauces, boiled chicken, light unbreaded fish, or aperitif type nibbles/snacks. And since this is such a full and dry wine, I wouldn’t pair this with any sort of sweet or dessert!
Aubrie Talarico
Great review! Not a varietal I’m too familiar with, so I’m going to to have to seek some out.
Having spent a wonderful day yesterday in Montefalco and had a great visit to the Arnaldo Caprai winery, I would fully endorse your description of this hearty wine.
It’s really a great wine! Especially for people that enjoy that oak element, in this specific case! 🙂
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