On the Road with the Grape Guy
Montefalco Visits 2025 - Part 1
19 Mar 2026- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(June 2025) … During the Sagrantino Anteprima, trips to wineries are organized where we get to try older wines, or line-up, or whatever our hosts deem would be of interest. Today, four wineries hosted and made things very interesting.
Tenuta di Saragano 
2017 Sagrantino
Black cherry and vanilla aromas. This wine is made from all old vines (50+ years – planted in 1974 at 500m, the highest in area). Fresh and lively with a beautiful mouthfeel, tannins just this side of silky with a hint of a rough edge, wonderful acidity with a backbone of fruit and layered just right: fruit on top of wood on top of tannins ... this one should age beautifully. (**** ½)
2018 Rosso Riserva
(Sangiovese / Merlot / Sagrantino)
Old vines Sagrantino used in the making of this wine with its big acidity, smoky, blackberry, and nice mouthfeel; fruit rides an oak seam to lovely effect. (*** ½+)
2021 Rosso
(Sangiovese / Merlot / Montepulciano / Sagrantino)
A little rustic on the palate with notes of dark berry fruit and smoke. (*** ½)
2022 Montefalco Bianco
(Spoletino / Grechetto - 20%)
A little seam of minerality meets notes of pineapple and melon. (*** ½)
2023 Montefalco Bianco
(Spoletino)
90 days of lees contact creates a lovely texture with notes of pineapple and honeydew; nice acidity on the finish. (*** ½)
2024 Umbria Rosso
(Sangiovese / Cabernet Sauvignon)
Young, fresh, fruit forward - steel aged, showing structure on the finish. Not as light as advertised, but it does hold a place for steak lovers in the middle of summer. (*** ½)
NV Secreto di Famiglia
(Riesling - Italian)
Spunmanti Brut - Charmat - 9000 bottles made. Light and easy, party wine made primarily for Riccardo's wife who loves bubbles, he wanted to save the finances of the family (don’t keep buying it, make it). Palate is cleansing and fresh. (*** ½)
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Le Cimate ...
2022 Meliade 
(Spoletino)
This is the sweet stuff, candied orange peel, and a savoury, spiced-apple finish. (****)
2022 Rosso
(Sangiovese / Refosco / Tannat / Sagrantino)
Has a nice freshness with some good tannin backbone - big acidity, and lots of savouriness. (*** ½+)
2021 Trebbiano Spoletino Superiore
Oak fermented, then oak aged: creamy, smoky and food friendly. (*** ½)
2024 Trebbiano Spoletino
Fresh and easy with notes of pineapple and lemon rind. (*** ½)
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Cesarini Sartori ...
2022 Rossobastardo
(Sangiovese / Merlot / Cabenet / Sagrantino)
Half their production is in this wine ... red fruit with licorice, sweet cherry, raspberry; plenty of layers to make this exciting. Made with a little Sagrantino Passito. (****)
2024 La Randa
(Grechetto / Sauvignon Blanc - 10%)
A little sweaty / a little sweet - juicy and tasty. (*** ½)
2022 Terrabianche
(Sangiovese / Merlot / Cabernets: Sauvignon & Franc / Sagrantino)
This is a mixed bag rosso, where a lot of friends come to the party: easy, earthy, good acidity with some tannin structure of note. (***+)
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Scacciadiavoli
2021 Passito
(Sagrantino)
Dry and sweet fight it out on the palate. (****)
2023 Rosso
(Sangiovese / Sagrantino / Merlot)
Older oak aged, giving this wine a nice fruity character with semi-aggressive tannins, but the fruit is first and foremost here, so the oak should drop out of there, instead of taking over. (****)
NV Pas Dose Brut 
(Sagrantino - 50% / Spoleto - 50%)
Fresh, slightly biscuity, with nice white fruit, dry with an almond-ish finish. (*** ½+)
2020 Pas Dose Spoleto
18 months on creates the base wine ... three years in bottle - this is basic, clean, fresh, and easy drinking (*** ½)
