Sagrantino
Sagrantino has some of the highest tannin levels of any red grape in the world—even more than Nebbiolo and Tannat—making its wines incredibly bold and structured.
Varietal Origin: Sagrantino is a native Italian grape from Umbria, particularly around the town of Montefalco. It has been cultivated for centuries, originally used to make sweet, passito-style wines before becoming famous for its dry, bold reds.
Typical Taste Profile: Sagrantino wines are deep, inky, and highly tannic, offering intense flavors of blackberry, plum, black cherry, and dried figs. They also exhibit earthy, spicy, and herbal notes, with hints of leather, cocoa, clove, and tobacco. With age, the tannins soften, revealing more complex layers of dried fruit, licorice, and balsamic elements.
Regional Styles:
Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG (Umbria, Italy): The most famous expression of Sagrantino, producing full-bodied, tannic wines that require long aging to soften.
Montefalco Rosso DOC: A blend of Sangiovese and Sagrantino, offering a more approachable, fruit-forward style with slightly softer tannins.
Passito Sagrantino: A traditional sweet wine made by drying the grapes before fermentation, resulting in a rich, raisined, and complex dessert wine with deep black fruit and spice notes.
