Sagrantino Passito Rosso Montefalco DOCG 2019 dolce

Arnaldo Caprai | Val di Maggio | Umbria
Arnaldo Caprai s.a. s.r.l. | Loc. Torre di Montefalco | IT 06036 Montefalco

10103019 · 0,375 l · 130,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

Before Sagrantino was pressed dry, it was a festive wine. A monastery wine that graced the tables of the Franciscans of Montefalco at Christmas and Easter – made from semi-dried berries, sweet and concentrated, blessed by the name itself: sacer = holy. Arnaldo Caprai still makes this oldest form of Sagrantino today – not as a nostalgia, but as a conviction that this style is perhaps the most intimate language of the grape variety. The grapes for the Passito are harvested by hand in October, the best grapes are carefully selected, then stored on wooden grates – for a good two months until the grapes have lost water and gained depth. What follows: 15 days of fermentation, 30 days of maceration on the skins, 15 months in French oak barrels, then at least one year in the bottle. From 7,000 vines per hectare, on the calcareous-clay soils of the Val di Maggio, with a yield that is limited from the outset. The 2019 vintage was one of Sagrantino's best years: a cool, slow autumn after a hot summer – for a late-ripening variety like Sagrantino, the constellation that winegrowers are waiting for. Tannins and acidity found their balance, the aromatic precision is remarkable.

Deep ruby red with garnet. Blackberry, stewed plums, candied citrus peel – and something dark underneath: tobacco, light nuttiness, a hint of vanilla. Sweet and warm on the palate, but never heavy: the Sagrantino's tannins keep the sweetness in tension, giving it contour. The finish is long, spicy, with that characteristic hint of bitterness that remains unmistakably Umbrian even in the sweet version. This is meditation in a glass. And proof that some traditions simply need no improvement. SUPERIORE.DE