Montefalco Sagrantino

The rules mention Pliny the Elder's 'Itriola' grape of the Montefalco area but think it probably is not Sagrantino, which may have been brought in the fourteenth or fifteenth century by Franciscan friars returning from Asia Minor. The oldest document on local vineyards dates from 1088. The oldest known mention of 'sagrantina' grapes at Montefalco is an order for Sagrantino must in 1549 by Guglielmo, a Jewish merchant of Trevi, and his wife Stella; a contract of 30 April 1575 reserves four pergolas of sagrantino near Foligno, and in 1598 Bartolomeo Nuti described its use in red wine.

The rules derive the name perhaps from the Latin sacer, sacred: for centuries Sagrantino was a passito for religious feasts, its grapes dried on reed mats until Christmas. A dry 'Sagrantino Asciutto' was first recorded at a regional show at Montefalco in September 1925, and was marketed only from the early 1970s. DOC came in 1979 and DOCG in 1992; a decree of 2002 reserved the name Sagrantino to the DOCG.

The zone is small: all of Montefalco and parts of four neighbouring communes in central Umbria. Vineyards descend gently along the hills from 220 to 472 m, the height of the medieval hill villages; only well-exposed hillsides qualify and valley floors are excluded. Slope and exposure vary widely, creating many microclimates. The rules divide the soils into four groups: Plio-Pleistocene river-lake conglomerates and yellow sands around Montefalco; lake clays and sandy clays south-west of Bevagna and at Bastardo; sandy and pebbly alluvium on the plains and old terraces; and Miocene marls and sandstones of the Marnoso-Arenacea formation. Root depth falls from over 150 cm on alluvium to under 70 cm on turbidites and conglomerates. Calcium carbonate is abundant (11-25%), the soils are alkaline (pH 7.8-8.2) and fairly rich in organic matter.

The climate is continental: January averages 3.8 °C and July 25.3 °C, with about 700 mm of rain on 89 days and some 40 frost days a year.

The rules suggest that the grape's defences against early autumn weather shape the wine. Its thick, tannin-rich skin resists moulds; only at full ripeness do the tannins lose part of their astringency, and skilled work is needed to make them smooth and velvety. Sagrantino does well on all soils of the zone, giving different wines, and reaches its best phenolic ripeness on clay-limestone. The dry wine is intense ruby, sometimes with violet tints, turning garnet, with a delicate scent of bramble, plum and leather joined by vanilla from the oak, and a powerful, soft and velvety taste. The rules give it a life of at least 10-15 years, from its natural antioxidants.

Both types are made only from Sagrantino. New vineyards need 4,000 vines/ha with rows no more than 2.5 m apart, and the yield is at most 8 t/ha. Secco and Passito must age at least 33 months from 1 December of the harvest year, the Secco with at least 12 months in oak casks of any size, and then at least 4 months in bottle. Passito grapes may be dried naturally or in rooms with humidity control; the wine is sweet, with at least 18% total alcohol and 80-180 g/l of residual sugar. Winemaking, drying and bottling must take place in the communes of the zone. The consortium lists Montefalco DOC and Spoleto DOC as separate denominations with their own rules.