This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Paolo Bea
Rosso de Véo Umbria Rosso Sagrantino 2015
The 2015 Rosso de Veo is monstrously intense yet wonderfully balanced, showing masses of crushed black cherry, balsamic spice, stone dust and wild, exotic florals on the nose. Velvety textures give way to ripe red and blue berries with a spicy-citrus twang, backed by stimulating acids, as saline-minerality saturates under a coating of liquid violets. This finishes long, staining the palate with fruit concentrate and grippy tannins, yet considering how structured this is, there’s a balance here that provides plenty of pleasure already. This is simply gorgeous and has a very bright future ahead of it. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Còlpetrone
Montefalco Sagrantino 2012
A darkly alluring bouquet of ripe woodland berries, crushed rocks and forest floor is lifted by a hint of mentholated herbs as the 2012 Sagrantino di Montefalco smolders up the glass. Rich balsamic spices and mocha giving way to black cherries and a hint of sour citrus. This is persistent and structured, though not painfully so, leaving a staining of blue and red fruits to linger long. The 2012 will make for a good option to drink over the medium term while waiting for the more structured vintages to mature. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Arnaldo-Caprai
Collepiano Sagrantino di Montefalco 2016
Darkly alluring notes of plum and cherry sauce give way to balsamic spices and hints of mocha as the 2016 Montefalco Sagrantino Collepiano blossoms in the glass. This is a deeply textural yet youthfully dense and poised expression, a wave of ripe black fruits, encased in a web of minerals, coasting along a core of brisk acids. Cooling hints of mint add lift through the massively structured finale, where sweet tobacco, baker’s chocolate and currants linger incredibly long. This is a towering yet sleek vintage of Collepiano that will enjoy a long life, though it will require a number of years to come fully into focus. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Marchesi Antinori
Castello della Sala Cervaro della Sala Umbria Chardonnay Grechetto 2019
A mix of mulled yellow apples, crushed hazelnuts, dusty dried flowers and wet stone creates a rich and inviting display as the 2019 Cervaro della Sala evolves in the glass. It’s soft and enveloping, casting opulent waves of textural ripe orchard fruits and subtle savory spices across the palate. Nuances of wild herbs come together with lingering mineral tones under an air of vanilla custard as the Cervaro della Sala tapers off fresh yet with incredible length. This blend, primarily Chardonnay with a dollop of Grechetto, could use another year or two to fully unwind. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Paolo Bea
Riserva Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Sangiovese Blend 2015
Leave it to Bea to create a perfectly poised, structured and classic wine in such a warm vintage. The 2015 Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Riserva takes time to blossom in the glass, showing little more than dusty roses, hints of white smoke and cranberry at first. However, with coaxing, it grows in richness and volume, displaying crushed black cherry giving way to clove, lavender, sage, mint leaf and air-dried meats. All the while, there’s a fresh and feminine character, following through to the silky, almost creamy textures, which never feel weighty or cloying. Ripe red fruits and inner florals cascade across a core of spice and minerals as a layer of fine tannin begins to penetrate deeply, drying the senses and creating a sour twang. The palate aches under the Pipparello’s massive structure, and notes of tart citrus and concentrated wild berry fruit linger long. It’s going to take some time for the 2015 to mature into a more pleasurable expression, but it will be worth the wait. This is composed of 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano and 15% Sagrantino, all matured in large neutral barrels and released significantly later than most other producers' wines. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021) — 3 years ago
Arnaldo-Caprai
Montefalco Rosso Sangiovese Blend 2016
Masses of black cherry, sage, brown spice and mocha waft up from the 2016 Montefalco Rosso. This is soft and cool-toned, with a pure display of ripe plums giving way to purple-tinged inner florals. The expression turns more savory through the finale, tapering off to tart wild berries framed by a coating of gentle tannins. The Montefalco Rosso is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Merlot. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Tenuta di Salviano
Grechetto 2019
The 2019 Grechetto captivates with a display of crushed stone and oyster shells, musky dried apricots and raw almonds. There are depths of silky textures here, nicely complemented by ripe apple and pear, and energizing acidity and salty minerals that saturate toward the close. This finishes with citrusy tension and a perfumed thrust of exotic florals and spice. Consider me a fan. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Paolo Bea
San Valentino Sangiovese Blend 2015
The 2015 is the current release of the zesty and potent Montefalco Rosso San Valentino. It’s composed of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano, all from 50-year-old vines within the San Valentino vineyard. Also worth mentioning is that this doesn’t spend any time in wood; instead, maturation takes place over three years in stainless steel tank. That said, the intense mix of wild berry, cherry, clove, sweet mineral, violet and dusty rose that forms the bouquet is all terroir, varietal and vintage. It makes its presence known with tart red fruits, sour citrus and spice, as nervous acids force the mouth to water, adding further sweetness and thrust. The expression suddenly turns feminine and perfumed, with a mix of gorgeous inner florals resonating above a tug of subtle tannin. The 2015 is a seductive, eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-your-head expression of San Valentino. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Casale del Giglio
Lazio Rosso Petit Verdot 2018
Depths of ripe plum, blackberry, sweet herbs and flowery undergrowth waft up as the 2018 Rosso Petit Verdot blossoms in the glass. It’s soft and fleshy in feel, releasing waves of ripe black fruits and spice, well balanced by juicy acidity. Violet florals, a mineral twang and nuances of salted licorice linger as this tapers off classically dry but fresh. There’s a lot of pleasure to be found in this fruit-forward yet harmonious effort. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago
Delectable Wine
Follow to learn about our favorite wines & people.
Black cherries mix with a spice box of autumnal aromas, camphor and smoke to create a captivating display as the 2016 Montefalco Rosso Riserva opens up in the glass. Its silky textures usher in a polished display of red fruits laced with sweet inner florals, all framed nicely by saline-minerality. Tart berries, licorice and a hint of wild herbs linger long through the lightly structured but also slightly bitter finale. The 2016 Riserva is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Sagrantino. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago