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