Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco

Arnaldo Caprai “Collepiano” Sagrantino di Montefalco 2009 There’s a reason this 2009 is a current release: Sagrantino is one of the most tannic grapes. That means, yes, this is a big chewy wine, but a delight with roasted meats, roasted vegetables, or the richest of cheeses. The varietal helped put Umbria on the Italian wine map, earning its DOCG status in 1992.

For years they let the grape dry to make a high-powered dessert wine, and that intensity carries into this relatively refined “secco” (that is dry) pour, thanks to 22 months in French oak barrique and a minimum of 6 months in bottle. Think the darkest of cherries, plus blueberry and raspberry, all accented with herbs and earth. A fascinating, unusual wine.

See arnaldocaprai.it.