Lungarotti Rosso di Montefalco 2016 (Umbria) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely organic red wine from Montefalco, in central west Umbria, that landed at the LCBO last weekend as part of the September 18 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Although the Lungarotti family had been producing wine and oil since the 1700s, it was in 1949 when Giorgio Lungarotti was among a group of exhibitors at the Perugia Grape Exhibition and realized the need to modernize viticulture in Umbria. In the early 1960s, he founded Cantine Lungarotti in Torgiano, Umbria. With deep knowledge of the climate, soil, and environment in Umbria, Giorgio Lungarotti played an important role in the the creation of the DOC Montefalco appellation in 1979.

This red wine is from Lungarotti's estate in Montefalco. The winery is located in Turrita di Montefalco and was established after they purchased 20 hectares of land in 2000 and planted vineyards for the production of a range of Sagrantino-based wines. The cellars are located completely underground, and uses a gravity flow system from the time the grapes arrives at the winery, through to vinification and cellaring. The underground cellars also allow for natural control of ambient temperatures. Being environmentally conscious, all of the wines produced at the Montefalco estate are certified organic from the 2014 vintage onwards.

Depicted on the label of this red wine is a view of the Montefalco winery. In the foreground is a falcon because falcon hunting was practiced here and was a passion of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia.

Rosso di Montefalco DOC wines tend to be softer and easier to drink than the DOCG wines of Montefalco (which are 100% Sagrantino) thanks to the varietals in the blend. Montefalco Rosso wines are blends composed of 60-70% Sangiovese, 10-15% Sagrantino, and the rest from other red grape varieties, but typically Merlot. This organic Rosso di Montefalco is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Sagrantino that was grown on loose soils with a sandy-clayey texture and a subsoils of limestone. It was fermented in stainless steel, followed by ageing in barriques and 3-ton casks for 12 months. The wine spent a further 10 months ageing in bottle prior to release.

Tasting Note:

LUNGAROTTI ROSSO DI MONTEFALCO 2016 - DOC, Umbria, Italy (#577668) (XD) - $26.95
This organic red wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Sagrantino that has an elegant, perfumed, medium-high intensity nose of lovely red cherry, sweet spices, cinnamon, and floral aromas with wet earth notes providing a savoury aspect. It's medium-full bodied with lovely aroma replays plus some dark cherry notes on the flavour profile. It has juicy, succulent acids, while the firm, gritty, and drying tannins need a few years to integrate. Savoury and earthy with some minerals linger on the finish, with excellent length. Enjoyable now, this will benefit from a few years in the cellar. Recommended buy. Score: 90 pts

Other fine wines from Lungarotti can be purchased through their Agent - Profile Wine Group.