Paolo Bea Sagrantino Secco Cerrete Montefalco 2019

If you’re not very familiar with it, Sagrantino is a rare and extremely tannic grape native to Umbria that creates darkly fruited, peppery, gripping wines of remarkable depth and ageability. It’s more tannic than Cabernet and even Nebbiolo, aligning more with Syrah or Petite Verdot, though with a mouthwatering wildness all its own. This one hails from a historic family estate in Montefalco, Umbria, today led by the modern force of winemaker Giovanni Bea, who is almost archaically committed to traditional methods and minimal intervention. He gives the grapes a long 45-day maceration with native yeasts before fermenting with no interventions and aging for almost four years in large oak casks before release.
 
The grapes hail from the Cerrete vineyard, one of the highest-altitude sites in Montefalco with poor, mineral-rich soils and significant diurnal shifts that help preserve acidity and concentrate flavors in the grapes. The 2019 growing season in Umbria was warm and dry, with cool nights that helped balance ripeness and acidity – genuinely perfect conditions for Sagrantino to thrive. In the glass, brute power meets astonishingly executed balance, with intense tannins framing rich, dark brambly fruit alongside zippy acidity and great structural lift. Black cherries, plums, beef fat, black licorice, wild brush, and ample spices keep this humming with liveliness and intrigue, while seemingly wrapped in what feels like a cashmere blanket for the tongue. For lovers of intense, precise, terroir-driven Italian wines, this one is a certifiable shoo-in with 97 points and nearly 50% off regular retail!