I admit a fascination with Sagrantino di Montefalco from my first sip of a 1996 Antonelli, which I had an Italian tasting here in New York City. The second time I had it I knew I had to go to its home town to check it out, which I did in 2000.
What I found in the communes of Montefalco was a nifty blend of personalities who were trying to suss out the grape. You see, it was vinified in sweet passito style until about 1980 or so. After that, the winemakers tried to figure out how to turn it into dry. The problem, they found, was the grape's tongue ripping tannins.
Back then there were 15 producers, two of them-- polar opposites--were highly acclaimed and expensive; the international and contrived Caprai and the fiercely old world Bea. In between there were the moderates, Antonelli and Antano and the rustic (loved the wines. Loved. Loved. Loved.) of Ruggieri. Now there are 50 producers, most of them toting barriques, enzymes and Tuscan wine consultants, smothering this gorgeous sun meets tannic grape with attitude and toast.
Which brings me to Antonelli, the winemaker I know the best from the area.
Antonelli's family, a long line of lawyers, bought the land and started to grow grapes 1861. He has 40h of vineyards that will eventually go to 50. In a deliminated area, like Montefalco, this is a nice chunk of land. His wines are the voice of reason. It is remarkable he hasn't been felled by the fashion ro barrique the crap out of the wine, replace the natural tannin with those of soaked wood. But then, that's not the kind of guy he is.
He starts the red wine off in double barriques but then moves them quickly into the traditional larger 50hl barrels. There is no extended cold soak, no apparent toast, no enzyming..etc and though I wonder how come his recent tannins are more tamed, I forgot to ask him about Micro Ox. If he uses it, I don't perceive it. The question comes from my inner cynic, not my taste. He is an experimenter, such as extending the fermentation by adding industrial yeasts, but he didn't like it so he didn't pursue the technique.
While not a thoroughly natural wine for purists, the wines still have loads of give and dance and life.
2004: Marked by a wild forest honey nose. Exremely gorgeous balance.
2003 was not over ripe in the least, though full and perfumed.
2000: Tight. Wound up. Reticent.
1998: Chocolate, tannic and firm.
1997: Starts to evolve. Touch of sheep. Sweet honey underneath the layers and great older-fashioned tannins.
Filippo is smiling on the left. On the right Roberto Paris, who has become unofficial Sag ambassador in the US, an Umbrian himself. Paris presides over the wine list at il Buco and pours 6-7. He might be the only one in town who has some older vintages squirreled away. But you have to be nice to him if he's going to fork these over.
Oh---under my Articles section, I just posted my ancient Sag story..it was the one I wrote for the now long defunct Underground Wine Journal. This is raw copy but for more info on the wine, check it out)
I admit a fascination with Sagrantino di Montefalco from my first sip of a 1996 Antonelli, which I had an Italian tasting here in New York City. The second time I had it I knew I had to go to its home town to check it out, which I did in 2000.
What I found in the communes of Montefalco was a nifty blend of personalities who were trying to suss out the grape. You see, it was vinified in sweet passito style until about 1980 or so. After that, the winemakers tried to figure out how to turn it into dry. The problem, they found, was the grape's tongue ripping tannins.
Back then there were 15 producers, two of them-- polar opposites--were highly acclaimed and expensive; the international and contrived Caprai and the fiercely old world Bea. In between there were the moderates, Antonelli and Antano and the rustic (loved the wines. Loved. Loved. Loved.) of Ruggieri. Now there are 50 producers, most of them toting barriques, enzymes and Tuscan wine consultants, smothering this gorgeous sun meets tannic grape with attitude and toast.
Which brings me to Antonelli, the winemaker I know the best from the area.
Antonelli's family, a long line of lawyers, bought the land and started to grow grapes 1861. He has 40h of vineyards that will eventually go to 50. In a deliminated area, like Montefalco, this is a nice chunk of land. His wines are the voice of reason. It is remarkable he hasn't been felled by the fashion ro barrique the crap out of the wine, replace the natural tannin with those of soaked wood. But then, that's not the kind of guy he is.
He starts the red wine off in double barriques but then moves them quickly into the traditional larger 50hl barrels. There is no extended cold soak, no apparent toast, no enzyming..etc and though I wonder how come his recent tannins are more tamed, I forgot to ask him about Micro Ox. If he uses it, I don't perceive it. The question comes from my inner cynic, not my taste. He is an experimenter, such as extending the fermentation by adding industrial yeasts, but he didn't like it so he didn't pursue the technique.
While not a thoroughly natural wine for purists, the wines still have loads of give and dance and life.
2004: Marked by a wild forest honey nose. Exremely gorgeous balance.
2003 was not over ripe in the least, though full and perfumed.
2000: Tight. Wound up. Reticent.
1998: Chocolate, tannic and firm.
1997: Starts to evolve. Touch of sheep. Sweet honey underneath the layers and great older-fashioned tannins.
Filippo is smiling on the left. On the right Roberto Paris, who has become unofficial Sag ambassador in the US, an Umbrian himself. Paris presides over the wine list at il Buco and pours 6-7. He might be the only one in town who has some older vintages squirreled away. But you have to be nice to him if he's going to fork these over.
Oh---under my Articles section, I just posted my ancient Sag story..it was the one I wrote for the now long defunct Underground Wine Journal. This is raw copy but for more info on the wine, check it out)
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