This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Paolo Bea
Rosso de Véo Umbria Rosso Sagrantino 2016
The 2016 Rosso de Veo is a dark and virile, wafting up with baked black cherry, savory air-dried meats and grilled sage. This takes a turn toward elegance on the palate, still insipidly dark yet silky-smooth, with polished red and black fruits that coast along a core of bright acidity. Through it all, grippy tannins slowly take hold, and yet the expression remains fresh, as the 2016 comes across as cool-toned and classic. This is a vintage to lose in the cellar, and just a baby step below the intensity of the Pagliaro. The 2016 spent a whopping 58 days macerating on the skins. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Fattoria Colsanto
Montefalco Rosso Sangiovese Blend 2018
The 2018 Montefalco Rosso captivates with a spicy mix of autumnal cherry sauce and plums complemented by hints of camphor and minty herbs. This is fleshy and fruity on the palate, yet balance is nicely maintained by juicy acidity, as a chalky mineral stain slowly saturates. Subtle tannins linger through the mentholated finale, as hints of licorice and bitter cherry taper off. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Paolo Bea
Rosso de Véo Umbria Rosso Sagrantino 2017
The 2017 Rosso de Veo is impossibly fresh, with a wild aromatic mix of spiced citrus, roses, cloves, hints of cocoa and, finally, medicinal black cherries. It’s silky-smooth and juicy to the core, with an abundance of energy and vibrant ripe red fruits that wash across the palate with ease. The 2017 finishes only lightly structured and lively, as the mouth waters under an air of red inner florals, and an underpinning of chalky minerals slowly fades. This may be a more immediate expression of Rosso de Veo, but it’s one that I hope to be able to try over and over again. It pays to mention that the 2017 clocks in at just 13% abv, an amazing feat for Sagrantino. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Paolo Bea
Cerrete Sagrantino di Montefalco 2011
The 2011 Montefalco Sagrantino Cerrete is airy and fresh, with smoky notes of mint and dried roses slowly giving way to red currants, cigar box and hints of balsamic spice. This is a textural masterpiece, silky and playful yet bold, washing mineral-laced red berries across a medium-bodied structural core of bright acids, as nuances of spiced citrus add further contrasts. The 2011 becomes almost salty through the finale, where inner earth and tobacco tones linger. While structured, the tannins are in perfect harmony. That said, waiting is recommended because this beauty has the balance to age for decades. The 2011 vintage was incredibly warm, where grapes started to raisin on the vine, yet with rose-colored berries in the middle. There was an extreme loss in quantity due to strict selection, and the wine spent 52 days macerating on the skins. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Paolo Bea
Riserva Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Sangiovese Blend 2017
The 2017 Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello bursts from the glass with smoky grilled herbs, shaved cedar, dried cherries, currants, hints of spiced citrus… the list goes on and on. It washes across the palate with soft, fleshy textures and masses of balsamic-tinged dark red fruits, yet at the core, stimulating acidity creates a wildly energetic expression. This finishes remarkably long and potent, already providing pleasure through its primary components. The 2017 has a long story to tell, as grippy tannins slowly resolve under an air of rosy inner florals. This is Pipparello on steroids. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Paolo Bea
Cerrete Sagrantino di Montefalco 2015
The 2015 Montefalco Sagrantino Cerrete wafts up with a smoky burst of camphor that blows off to reveal a pretty mix of wild strawberries, dried roses, cinnamon and peppery herbs. This is silky yet cool-toned in feel, with a pleasant twang of sour citrus up front that gives way to vivid tart cherries. It's potent and staining, but also full of energy, with vibrant acids and a mineral underpinning that both pepper yet also soothe the senses. The 2015 finishes incredibly long, with balsamic tones and exotic spices that seem to last for up to a minute. Silky tannins coat the palate at first then slowly melt away and create a sense of total inner harmony. With a few years of cellaring, I expect the 2015 Cerrete to be a total knockout. Of note, there will not be a 2013 or 2014 Cerrete. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Marchesi Antinori
Castello della Sala Cervaro della Sala Umbria Chardonnay Grechetto 2020
Nosing the 2020 Cervaro della Sala is like waking into a French bakery in the early morning, with notes of lemon oil, butter cream, crusty bread, fresh dough and vanilla bean contrasted by a whiff of crushed oyster shell, which may not be on the menu, but still works perfectly here. This glides effortlessly across the palate with the silkiest of textures, steadily gaining in tension, as mineral-drenched orchard fruits give way to sour melon and, finally, pretty inner florals. The 2020 lingers impossibly long and lightly structured, displaying notes of candied citrus enriched by almond custard. I'd love to toss this blend of 92% Chardonnay and 8% Grechetto into a blind tasting of white Burgundy. Beautifully done. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2017 Rosso San Valentino is an exotic beauty, mixing hints of blood orange with wild berries and balsam herbs. It washes across the palate with silky textures and polished red and black fruits that leave a staining of minerals, all nicely balanced by a twang of zesty citrus. It finishes lightly structured and incredibly long; a hint of primary concentration creates a cheek-puckering sensation. I would never guess this was the product of such a warm and dry vintage. The 2017 is a spectacular San Valentino. It is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Montepulciano and 15% Sagrantino. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2022)
— 2 years ago