I would like to turn this offer over to SommSelect’s new Editorial Director, David Lynch, who came onboard at the beginning of this year. He is a veteran sommelier and superstar wine writer who co-authored the seminal book ‘Vino Italiano,’ which was the cornerstone for Italian wine knowledge during my studies to become a Master Sommelier. David has traveled extensively throughout Italy and spent many years as the Wine Director of the Italo-centric Babbo Ristorante in NYC along with numerous projects in San Francisco. Keep an eye out for more offers from David, Italian and otherwise, in this space. I can’t express how honored I am to work alongside him. Below is David’s take on this wine, the 2009 Montefalco Sagrantino from the biodynamic Raína estate in Umbria. Cheers! -- I.C.
Fresh off a year traveling through Italy, I began working as the Wine Director of Babbo, in New York City, at the start of 2001. It was an exciting time for Italian wine in the US (it still is), and at that time one of the shiniest new toys for us sommeliers was Montefalco Sagrantino, the ink-black red of central Umbria. Montefalco is a small, picture-book medieval village south of Perugia, and Sagrantino is a native grape of the area which, like so many of Italy’s obscure, hyper-local varieties, was in the midst of a huge revival. Among other things, Sagrantino wines appealed to the American palate—they’re bold, rich, tannic reds that deliver the punch of a California Cabernet (or new school Bordeaux), albeit with a darker, spicier Italian twist. Lots of attention was lavished on Sagrantino producers such as Arnaldo Caprai (whose huge investment in Montefalco really put the region on the map) and Paolo Bea (now one of the heroes of the natural wine movement). It was a genuine phenomenon, and as I would learn later, plantings of the Sagrantino variety surged so much between 2001 and 2009 that the local vintners’ consortium placed a moratorium on new Sagrantino vineyards for a time.
Long story short—if you like big red wines, this 2009 from Raína is for you. With a few years of bottle age under its belt, its tannins have softened enough to let its black-fruited richness show through. If you live somewhere cold, all the better; this gutsy red will warm you right up.
Raína’s proprietor, Francesco Mariani, is a chef and winemaker who founded his estate in 2002, using the nickname of the property’s previous owner as his calling card. His 10 hectares of vineyards were planted between 2002 and 2008, and to say he’s committed to sustainability is an understatement: his vineyards and winery are managed according to biodynamic principles, with no chemicals used in either aside from trace amounts of sulfur at bottling. Further, Mariani gets about 70% of the winery’s electricity and hot water from solar panels on the property. All water comes from wells and lakes on the property, and wastewater from the winery is recycled.
Whereas wines labeled ‘Montefalco Rosso’ are actually a predominance of Sangiovese with a small percentage of Sagrantino blended in, Montefalco Sagrantino, alternately called ‘Sagrantino di Montefalco,’ is 100% Sagrantino—a grape variety that boasts some of the highest levels of polyphenols (tannins/color pigments) of any wine grape in the world. Traditionally, Sagrantino was only used for passito (dried-grape) sweet wines; only in the early 1980s were dry versions readily available.
This 2009 is a heady, luscious, palate-coating glass of wine, its saturated ruby color leaning to black. Aromas of black currant, plum, mulberry, and cassis are layered with notes of licorice, dark chocolate, baking spices, and wild herbs. It is richly textured and palate-coating, with tannins that have evolved from ferocious to sand-soft, and its oak (it spent 12 months in French oak barriques) has become an accent note. Some tasters find Sagrantino to be brambly and intense, à la Zinfandel; I’d agree with the bramble part but I’d throw in a little Petit Verdot inkiness/structure. Given its richness, I’d suggest decanting about 30 minutes before serving in large Bordeaux stems. Keep the temperature cool, around 60-65 degrees, and by all means get it on the table with food. There are all sorts of braise-y, rich, Italian preparations to recommend here, but I’m going to go outside the box and suggest some non-spicy American
barbecue (‘non-spicy’ so it doesn’t amplify tannin/alcohol). It’s borrowed from the Zinfandel playbook, and I think it’ll work great with this sumptuous red.
Salute! — D.L.
