Vintage: 2014
Country: Italy
Region: Umbria
Appellation: Sagrantino di Montefalco
Grape: 100% Sagrantino
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Cork

Producer: Perticaia is a stellar producer based in Montefalco, Umbria, and produces not only one of the greatest Sagrantinos, but a range of other excellent wines, including the super-rare Trebbiano Spoletino white. Guido Guardigli consulted to other Sagrantino producers for many years before setting up this new winery in 2000, supposedly as a “retirement” project. The quality goes without saying; tre bicchieri awards are standard issue here.

Vineyard: The vineyard of Perticaia is planted on a gentle, southwest-facing slope 300-350 metres above sea level. A useful proportion of stones in the soil favours good drainage. The grapes for this wine come from seven hectares of the estate, planted to a low cordon-trained and spur-pruned system with 5,500 plants per hectare. Yields are kept low to maximize concentration.

Winery: The wine underwent a lengthy fermentation and maceration of at least three weeks, at temperatures up to 30ºC. After malolactic it was transferred to a mixture of barriques and tonneaux, all French oak, for twelve months’ ageing, which was followed by a further twelve months in tank and another twelve in bottle before release.

Taste: A great example of Umbria’s signature grape variety, this intense, dramatic wine offers aromas of cinnamon and black cherry, followed by a powerful, structured palate of world-class complexity and balance.

Press: 90 Points, The Wine Advocate, December 2017

Awards: 2 red glasses, Gambero Rosso 2018