2010 Montefalco Sagrantino

Antonelli San Marco did a fabulous job dealing with the conditions of the 2018 vintage, turning out a selection of Sagrantino atypical of the year. I don’t find the unbalanced tannin-to-fruit profile that marks many of the year’s wines here. Instead, the Molino dell'Attone, Chiusa di Pannone and flagship Montefalco Sagrantino show radiant fruit and elegant textures. These wines are more lifted and agile than expected in their youthful state. While they may drink earlier than the norm, I don’t see that as a problem, especially with how long-lived Sagrantino tannins tend to be. Ultimately, they are some of the vintage's top wines. If readers want to return to a more classic and structured style, then the 2019s will fit the bill. I only tasted the flagship Sagrantino, but from that alone, I’m very excited to see what else Filippo Antonelli has up his sleeves.

Antonelli San Marco did a fabulous job dealing with the conditions of the 2018 vintage, turning out a selection of Sagrantino atypical of the year. I don’t find the unbalanced tannin-to-fruit profile that marks many of the year’s wines here. Instead, the Molino dell'Attone, Chiusa di Pannone and flagship Montefalco Sagrantino show radiant fruit and elegant textures. These wines are more lifted and agile than expected in their youthful state. While they may drink earlier than the norm, I don’t see that as a problem, especially with how long-lived Sagrantino tannins tend to be. Ultimately, they are some of the vintage's top wines. If readers want to return to a more classic and structured style, then the 2019s will fit the bill. I only tasted the flagship Sagrantino, but from that alone, I’m very excited to see what else Filippo Antonelli has up his sleeves.

Antonelli San Marco is a family-run estate led by Filippo Antonelli, who has been a force to be reckoned with in Montefalco since 1986. All practices are organic across their 75-hectare estate, of which 50 are planted to vine. One of the region's royal families, Antonelli's reputation has been well earned through years of research in the vineyards, a lineage of excellent vintages and Filippo Antonelli’s multiple terms as the head of the Montefalco Consorzio. The style of the wines shines brightly amidst a tasting of Sagrantino. Elegance, beauty and finesse are achieved from a variety more closely associated with power and tannic girth. Readers looking to understand the more ethereal side of Sagrantino should look no further.

Antonelli San Marco is located in the heart of the Montefalco DOCG, where Filippo Antonelli and his team oversee 50 hectares planted to Grechetto, Trebbiano Spoletino, Sangiovese and, of course, Sagrantino. (As a side note, Filippo Antonelli has another project in Lazio under the name Castello di Torre in Pietra, also included in this report.) The winery is organic and has a long history of studying the region’s terroir and vineyards. This can be witnessed in the winery’s two single-vineyard Sagrantinos: the Chiusa di Pannone, from a vineyard that was planted in 1995 with a southern exposure at 400 meters, and the newest addition to the portfolio, the Molino dell’Attone, hailing from a plot planted in 1990 with an east-facing exposure at 400 meters. Quality here is extremely high, from top to bottom, and the wines reflect a commitment to transparent representation of territory and varietal character.