Grant's Sagrantino Dinner Party

After months of discussing the sagrantino wines of Umbria, we finally decided to explore them in style. Grant coordinated a fantastic dinner and tasting event which proved to be a wonderful way to experience these dark and powerful wines. Each wine was paired with a food course, and attendance was great, which allowed us to try a nice range of these wines and get a good snapshot of what they have to offer.

• 2007 Antonelli San Marco Grechetto Colli Martani 87 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Colli Martani

  Grapefruit and green apples come through on the acidic nose of this wine. Light honeydew melon comes onto the palate right away, followed by some pineapple, and some smooth acidity. The wine is lighter than expected, and there's a hint of bitterness early on the mid palate mixed in with ripe apple flavors, but the melon flavors last nicely.

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• 2003 Perticaia Montefalco Sagrantino 90 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Cherries and dark tobacco notes dominate the nose with some cranberry scents lurking in the background. Apple and cherry flavors deliver immediately. The wine is quite tannic, as expected for this style. Plenty of acidity comes through, and the full tannins are well integrated. A hint of aged fruit appears, and the cherry flavors hold their own through the finish. Best if tasted slowly, to give the heavy tannins a chance to wind down before refreshing them.

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• 2005 Arnaldo-Caprai Grechetto Colli Martani Grecante 88 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Colli Martani

  Lovely apple scents on the nose along with a hint of honey, and some minerality. The front end is very light, but delivers some nice acid later, along with pear notes on the mid palate. The wine is very smooth, but not a butter bomb, as I was somewhat expecting with 100% malo. It's a little creamy on the finish, but not overbearing.

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• 2004 Moretti Omero Montefalco Sagrantino 89 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Nutmeg, cherries, and awesome roast beef scents come through when I smell this wine. It delivers some nice raspberry flavors up front coupled with a delicate floral note. The tannins are full across the mid and late palate, as expected. There's plenty of well integrated oak, that works well with the rest of the wine. Some blackberry flavors show up late on the finish. Nice.

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• 2004 Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino 89 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  The wine smells like a pastry dish with beef baked inside of it. Light blackberry scents are noticeable as well. The wine delivers some nice acidity and fruit right away. Blackberry flavors persist across the palate along with full, strong tannins.

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• 2003 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso 90 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Rosso

  The wine has a fascinating nose with strawberry and blackberry scents making up the fruity notes. There's a hint of olive oil as well, and something that reminds me of a fallen tree on the forest floor. The strawberry flavors appear across the entire palate and a great, spicy rise of tannins shows up on the mid palate. The tannins run out all the way, and the acidity is solid and well integrated with the rest of the experience.

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• 2004 Còlpetrone Montefalco Sagrantino 89 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Smoky beef, blackberries, and a hint of tomato on the nose. Dark plums and blackberry flavors are enjoyable present throughout and they really come to the fore on the mid palate. The acidity is lovely, and compliments the full tannins that bloom through the finish. There is a tangy meat note late on the mid palate as well. 89+

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• 2000 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni 92 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Thick nose of blackberries, leather, and a bit of vanilla in the background all framed by hints of excellent acidity. The wine hits the palate with a super smooth texture, and the tannic structure builds later. The blackberry fruit on this is just lovely. The acidity hinted at on the nose shows up, and the acidity is enjoyable across the entire experience. As the tannins fill out toward the finish, they actually take on the feeling of being "chewy"!

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• 2003 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni 91 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Raspberries make up most of the nose here. There are underlying scents of oak and smoke as well. Blackberry flavors, supported by some nice oak make up the first impressions when tasted. The acidity is strong and enjoyable all the way through, and a tiny bit of heat shows up at the end. The tannins evolve impressively from the mid palate, and wring the mouth out on the finish. After working on the glass for a while, I noticed a bit of blueberry flavor on the mid palate as well.

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• 2001 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Sagrantino 25 Anni 94 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  I love how this wine smells! Lovely blackberries and cherries are wrapped up in baking flour, and a hint of pine needles lurks in the background. The wine starts out with light apple flavors that carry through to the mid palate. There's a hint of blackberries and oak, not vanilla oak, just oak, on the mid palate as well. The evolution of the fruit flavors from the front to middle of the experience is excellent. The acidity is very nice, and it gives the entire experience a very clean feeling. The tannins grip up pretty hard on the finish, and a hint of gingerbread helps everything wind down nicely.

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• 2003 Antonelli San Marco Montefalco Sagrantino Passito 89 Points

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Lovely nose here of raisins, brown sugar, and super ripe, red apples! Yum! The ripe apples come through right away on the palate, as do the blackberry flavors. The wine has a dusty mouth feel, with wonderful full tannins that hit hard toward the finish and then lighten up quickly as the flavors roll away. 89+

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Only one wine from the night was corked, and with that aside, all of the wines were good. I'm enormously impressed by this given that everyone purchased wine for the event with little or no experience with this region. Thanks to everyone for such great contributions, and a wonderful time!