Montefalco Sagrantino

Sagrantino wine and its flavours

Sagrantino, the sacred wine of Umbria, has in recent years become a cult wine. It’s Italy’s most tannic wine – even more tannic than Barolo. Still, with only one million bottles made every year, this wine remains an exclusive drink for those in the know.

Dry Sagrantino wine is extremely powerful, rich and deep. It has an incredible ageing potential of at least 10-15 years. Crafted by long maceration and oxidative ageing, it has sumptuous flavours of blackberry, black cherry, juicy prune, old leather and cinnamon. Read our Guide to Montefalco Sagrantino…

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Guide to Montefalco Sagrantino

The origins of Montefalco Sagrantino

Montefalco is a charming ancient hilltop town that commands breathtaking views of Umbria. Founded by the Umbri people in pre-Roman times, it was re-built by the emperor Frederick II as a fortress. The formidable hilltop position of the town provides sweeping views over the surrounding valleys and mountains, making it a fantastic defensive asset.

The name Sagrantino – the sacred wine – is derived from the Latin word sacer, and indeed reflects the wine’s historic use [3, art.9]. From the middle ages until the mid-20th century, Montafalco Sagrantino was only made as a sweet, passito wine. Produced in small quantities, it was consumed in monasteries and homes during major Catholic festivals such as Easter and Christmas.

The incredibly high tannin content – natural antioxidants – is explained by the unusually thick skin of the Sagrantino grape. Autumns in this part of Umbria are rainy and foggy, leading to a high risk of mould. Nature responded to this by blessing the Sagrantino grape with a thick skin, for protection against disease. As a result, the unique grape specific to this small area around Montefalco became the source of very tannic, powerful wines.

Montefalco’s historic wineries, which started producing Montefalco Sagrantino wines, are Scaccia Diavoli and Fratelli Pardi. In 1925, the Minister for National Economy (Il Ministro per l’Economia Nazionale) awarded the Silver Medal to Fratelli Pardi, recognising the quality of their Montefalco Sagrantino wine.

Sagrantino grape in the Official Registry

First historical record: 1549.

Official registration: DOC since 1979, DOCG since 1992

Consorzio: Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco https://www.consorziomontefalco.it/en/montefalco-sagrantino-docg/

Region: Umbria

Area under vine: 405 hectares

Annual production: 1.13 million bottles (8477 hectolitres) [2019, 2]

Key Montefalco Sagrantino wine rules

Styles of Montefalco Sagrantino

Today, Montefalco Sagrantino can be made in two styles: dry (secco) and sweet (passito). Both must be made from 100% Sagrantino.

Today, the lion’s share of Montefalco Sagrantino is produced in the dry (secco) style. Though passito fell out of fashion – and almost disappeared – some modern producers have attempted to recreate this ancient wine. But to be fair, passito is produced in tiny quantities – so if you do find one of these rarities, it's well worth trying.

Ageing

Since the Sagrantino grape is very tannic, the wine has to be aged in oak for a long time in order to tame the harsh tannins and make the wine drinkable. After the time-consuming ageing process is complete, the wines achieve the uniquely pleasant velvety mouthfeel that tannic wines are beloved for, as well as depth and additional flavour complexity .

The disciplinare (“wine laws”) require that Montefalco Sagrantino – both dry and sweet – is aged for at least 33 months, including at least four months in bottle. This is much longer than most Italian red wines. Only a few of the most premium wines, including Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, have to age longer.

For the dry (secco) version, the 33-month period must include at least 12 months in oak barrels. But in practice, top wineries tend to age their wines for longer.

For example, Alberto Pardi – the winemaker of Fratelli Pardi – ages his Montefalco Sagrantino Secco in oak for 18 months. He uses a combination of 2600-litre French and Slavonian oak barrels. The use of large oak barrels helps to gently soften the tannins, without overpowering the natural fruit aromas of the grape with oaky flavour. After that, the wine is blended together and left for another 9-12 months in stainless steel tanks for the flavours to fully integrate. Finally, the wine is bottled, and left to rest for as long as six to eight months in the cellar. As a result, the overall ageing process takes as long as 36-38 months.

Where Montefalco Sagrantino wine is made

Territory

The Montefalco production area lies in central Umbria, between the Tevere river and the central part of the Apennine mountains.

The area planted with Sagrantino grapes covers 405 hectares. Vines are planted on slopes of the hills, around the ancient town of Montefalco, and in four villages: Bevagna, Gualdo Cattaneo, Castel Ritaldi, and Giano dell’Umbria. Vineyards can be found at elevations ranging from 220 to 472 metres above sea level. The highest vineyard sits right on the Montefalco hill, next to the fortress gates.

Climate

The climate of the Montefalco vine-growing area is continental. Placed in the heart of Umbria, between the mountain ranges, it is well-shielded from the influence of the sea. The climate is dry, with an average annual rainfall of 700 mm. Autumn is the most rainy period.

The temperature ranges from 3.8°C in January to 25.3°C in July. During the winter, snow cover on the hills is quite common. Frost, especially in spring, can be an issue for viticulture.

Soils

1.5 million years ago, most of Umbria was submerged beneath the ancient Lake Tiberino. Over time, the waters disappeared as new mountain ranges rose. As a result, large parts of Umbria have rich lacustrine soils, rich in the sort of sediment usually found at the bottom of lakes.

The soil around Montefalco is rich in yellow lake sands and sandy clays. Some areas are covered by sand and pebble sediments, which were brought by river floods. Finally, less productive areas are covered by mudstones – including yellow sandstones and grey silty clays.

A brief history of Montefalco Sagrantino

14th-15th century: Sagrantino introduced to Umbria by the Franciscan monks.

1549: the first written mention of the "sagrantina" grape in Montefalco, in a commercial order of Sagrantino grape must by a merchant from Trevi.

16th century-1860: Umbria remains part of the ultra-conservative Papal state.

1860: Umbria voluntarily joins the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.

1925: Montefalco Sagrantino passito wine by Fratelli Pardi receives the Silver Medal from the Minister for the National Economy at the Wine and Oil Exhibition 1925.

1970s: Montefalco Sagrantino passito wine almost disappears. Arnaldo Caprai and Attilio Scienza promote the dry version, effectively giving the second birth to Sagrantino

1979: The Italian Government establishes Montefalco DOC, which includes three wine types: sweet (passito), dry (secco), and rosso (blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino).

1992: Wines made from 100% Sagrantino, including passito and secco, are elevated to the DOCG level. The rosso blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino remains a DOC.

Sources:

[1] MiPAAF (1970-2010)

[2] ISMEA (2019)

[3] Disciplinare di Produzione della Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita “Montefalco Sagrantino”

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