The bottles that define Umbria: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
The iconic bottles that define Umbria: what they are, who makes them and what they cost.
Released to mark Arnaldo Caprai's 25th anniversary vintage, 25 Anni is a dry Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG built for extended cellar ageing, aged 24 months in French oak.
Tasting notes: Anniversary-vintage Sagrantino di Montefalco with astonishing aromatic range, from blackberry jam and rose to pine resin and cocoa, carried by soft but persistent tannin.
Chiusa di Pannone is Antonelli's single-vineyard cru Sagrantino, blended from two parcels with different exposure and soil, aged 30 months in large oak.
Tasting notes: Single-vineyard Sagrantino from two contrasting Chiusa di Pannone parcels, rich, ethereal and very complex with extended 30-month oak ageing.
A minimal-intervention estate farmed by the Bea family since at least the 1500s, among the reference points for natural-wine Sagrantino in Montefalco.
Tasting notes: Paolo Bea's Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, farmed without chemical inputs and vinified with minimal intervention by a family documented in the Montefalco archives since the 1500s.
Campo alla Cerqua is Tabarrini's single-vineyard Sagrantino from a one-hectare parcel with south-east exposure on stony, silty-clay soil.
Tasting notes: Campo alla Cerqua is Tabarrini's single-hectare cru Sagrantino, fragrant and crisp with great aromatic complexity and rich minerality, from skin contact of over a month.
Colle Grimaldesco was Tabarrini's first Sagrantino bottling, from vines planted in 1998 at 390 metres above Montefalco.
Tasting notes: Colle Grimaldesco was Tabarrini's first Sagrantino, a powerhouse that remains powerful yet balanced, from vines planted in 1998.
Perticaia's Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG matures 30 to 36 months in French oak, built for 25 to 30 years of cellar potential.
Tasting notes: Perticaia's estate Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, ripe black berries and black pepper over tertiary undergrowth and smoke, with velvety, superfine tannin.
Sacer is Colpetrone's flagship long-ageing Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG, held back well beyond the DOCG's minimum before release.
Tasting notes: Sacer is Colpetrone's extended-ageing Sagrantino di Montefalco, released only after roughly 12 years between wood, steel and bottle.
Carapace takes its name from the Arnaldo Pomodoro-designed winery at Tenuta Castelbuono, a certified-organic estate in the Lunelli family's Umbria holding.
Tasting notes: Carapace is Tenuta Castelbuono's certified-organic Sagrantino, named for the Arnaldo Pomodoro sculpture-winery where it ages, deep ruby with blackberry jam and rose petal.
Rubesco Riserva Vigna Monticchio is 100 percent Sangiovese from the Monticchio vineyard, recognised as Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG in 1990, retroactive to 1983.
Tasting notes: Lungarotti's single-vineyard Rubesco Riserva Vigna Monticchio, Umbria's first DOCG wine, marasca cherry and blackberry over soft, velvety tannin.
San Giorgio is Lungarotti's Bordeaux-leaning Umbria IGT blend, aged 12 months in barrique.
Tasting notes: San Giorgio blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese under Umbria IGT, concentrated and dense with cassis, bilberry and plum jam.
Pictoricius is a limited numbered release of 1,300 bottles, Sangiovese from Torgiano's Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG, the region's first DOCG.
Tasting notes: Pictoricius is Terre Margaritelli's flagship Torgiano Rosso Riserva DOCG, named for Renaissance painter Pinturicchio, deep ruby with garnet reflections and a wide, incense-tinged bouquet.
Cervaro della Sala is Castello della Sala's flagship white, an early adopter of malolactic fermentation and barrique ageing for Italian white wine.
Tasting notes: Cervaro della Sala is Antinori's Umbria IGT benchmark white, Chardonnay with a small Grechetto share, one of the first Italian whites built to age.
Muffato della Sala blends five white varieties affected by botrytis, one of Italy's benchmark noble-rot dessert wines.
Tasting notes: Muffato della Sala is a five-variety noble-rot blend from Castello della Sala, golden with bright greenish hues, tropical and dried-apricot notes balanced by vibrant acidity.
Pourriture Noble is Decugnano dei Barbi's Orvieto Classico DOC Muffa Nobile, one of Umbria's classic noble-rot dessert wines.
Tasting notes: Pourriture Noble is Decugnano dei Barbi's noble-rot Orvieto, light amber to gold with dried apricot, dates, honey and saffron.
Poggio Petroso is Duca della Corgna's flagship single-vineyard Trasimeno Gamay, from a single Panicale vineyard yielding around 3,500 bottles a year.
Tasting notes: Poggio Petroso is Duca della Corgna's single-vineyard Trasimeno Gamay from Panicale, bright ruby with rose, myrtle and wild fennel over gentle tannin.
L'Arringatore is Goretti's flagship red, the maximum expression of the Colli Perugini DOC, blending Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Merlot.
Tasting notes: L'Arringatore is Goretti's flagship Colli Perugini DOC red, named for an Etruscan-Roman statue found in the estate's vineyards in 1566.
Peak wine-travel season in Umbria is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open 25 Anni by Arnaldo Caprai. It is the wine most associated with Umbria.