2005 Sagrantino di Montefalco Colleallodole

In my experience, the vineyards around the beautiful medieval town of Bevagna give slightly smoother, lighter sagrantinos than those of Montefalco. Young Francesco Antano is keen on keeping them as uncompromising and traditional as possible, though this year's releases seem to be sweeter and more modern than usual, perhaps simply a matter of the vintages in question. Make no mistake about it: one taste of these wines tells you that you are in the presence of a gifted winemaker, along the lines of a Bruno Giacosa, Laurence Faller or Willi Haag. Antano is a rising star in Italian wine. Also recommended: 2007 Grechetto Umbria Bianco (86), 2005 Montefalco Sagrantino Passito (86).

Antano was the last stop in a long day of tastings in Montefalco. Rather than feeling tired, though, I found myself totally energized by the superb wines I tasted here. Some of the most unique, compelling wines in Montefalco emerge from these cramped cellars in Bevagna. Proprietor Francesco Antano is Montefalco's answer to Giuseppe Rinaldi, the iconic Barolo producer. It is therefore no surprise his wines reveal many of the same characteristics as Rinaldi's Barolos, most notably a superb purity that perfectly captures the qualities of grape variety, vintage and terroir. Antano is humble and down to earth, with both feet squarely on the ground, admirable qualities that are all too rare these days. Antano produces roughly 60,000 bottles a year from 15 hectares of vineyards located in Bevagna, the warmest region within Montefalco. The wines possess striking aromatics, gorgeous fruit and remarkable balance which makes them approachable when young but also capable of developing beautifully in bottle. Stylistically the wines bridge modern and traditional styles with a distinct leaning towards the classic. These are among the most accessible wines from Montefalco when young, which also makes them a great starting point for readers who want to explore the breadth of Montefalco's oenological beauty. In particular, the single-vineyard Sagrantino Colleallodole is an essential wine for any well stocked cellar. Antano gives his wines long macerations on the skins and favors casks for his Montefalco Rosso, Montefalco Rosso Riserva and Sagrantino, while the Sagrantino Collealodolle is aged in neutral French oak tonneaux. The wines are neither fined nor filtered prior to bottling and they will benefit from a few hours of aeration prior to being served. Simply put, readers should do whatever they can to get their hands on these splendid reference-point wines.