Montefalco has become the famous wine area in Montefalco with the Sagrantino di Montefalco achieving DOCG status in 1992 – an incredibly fast transition from relative obscurity.
The estates of Dionigi and Raina are great contrasts and allow us to compare two producers of Montefalco wines.
Cantina Dionigi is a small estate making about 50,000 bottles a year and Raina making a bit less.
At Dionigi we tas
ted five vintages from 2001 to 2007 which showed how important the climatic conditions of any given year are to the finished product.
2003 was dried out and on the decline – symptomatic of the blazing hot conditions they suffered. Sagrantino grapes are very small and the heat thickened the skins even more than usual creating a small amount of juice, high tannins and low acidity. The 2002 was a wet, cold year and while the acidity has retained a freshness – the wine lacked the vibrancy of fruit of a better year. 2007, 2004 and 2001 showed the glory and potential of the Sagrantino grape. Rich, full bodied and tannic – even the 2001 needs more time – deliciously robust wines that need extensive ageing and are perfect with slow roasted meats.
Having tasted those fives plus a further seven other wines it was time to move onto lunch with Francesco Mariani at his Raina estate.
We enjoyed a delightful tasting lunch – Francesco is a trained chef – pairing his Trebbiano Spoletino 2013 with a traditional Umbrian soup topped with f
reshly made farmhouse ricotta; an amazing duck pasta served on a chickpea puree base served with Rosso di Montefalco 2011; chicken and panzanella with the Sagrantino di Montefalco 2009 and a summer fruits cheesecake paired with his Passito Sagrantino 2008. Francesco’s wines are elegant and refined which contrast nicely with the more robust style of Dionigi.
Despite my warnings, everyone still ate and drank everything…….dinner doesn’t really beckon tonight!