Lunch for two at home on Saturday began with a wine that should be better known: Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004 DOC “Chiusa di Pannone” Antonelli San Marco Made from 100% Sagantino from our best selection massale. The first vintage was in 2003.
Chiusa di Pannone is a 2.70-hectare vineyard planted in 1995. It is at 400 meters, with a southern exposure with rows following the slope. The harvest generally takes place at the end of October. There are gravity feed tanks on the two levels of the cellar. Fermentation with skin contact takes place for 3 to 4 weeks. Malolactic fermentation is in wood. The wine is aged in 500 liter barrels for six months and 25 hl barrels for 12 months.The wine is not filtered. It is released five years after the harvest.
The Sagrantino grape is very high in polyphenols (substances extracted from the skins of grapes that provide the coloring and texture for the wine) and also tannin which helps red wine to age. Recent studies show that the Sagrantino variety does not have any similarity to any other grape variety cultivated in Central Italy, nor is it related to Sangiovese as some believed. The grape is only found around five hill towns, Montefalco being the best known. It is therefore a very local grape variety.
This is a well-structured, rich complex wine with hints of fruits, plum, blackberries, and mushrooms, herbs a touch of mint and note of citrus. It can age for 30 years. This is a very impressive wine and Antonelli is my favorite producer of Sagantino
I visited the winery and met Filippo Antonelli who is at the helm of this family winery. I also had the pleasure of visiting him in his apartment in Rome for a wine tasting.
We started with crostini with mushrooms. Michele sauteed chopped mushrooms with seasonings, blended in some cheese, and spread the mixture on toast. She topped some with additional cheese. These were a good appetizer for the wine.
Beef Stew with Vegetables with Polenta and Broccoli
Cravanzana, a soft cow’s milk cheese from Northern Italy.
Lemon Ricotta Cake for dessert
The cake with marinated strawberries and creme fraiche on the plate
Your post reminds me of the day we drove from Rome to Montefalco with Jo Wennerholm to pick up some Sagrantino to bring back home with us. A number of years earlier, while in Tuscany, we purchased a Sagrantino Passito 2008 from Antonelli…utterly delicious! It was so good, I removed the labels from the bottle and made them into a bookmark as a reminder! And for Michelle, everything you made to accompany the wine looks so tempting.
Ciao Phyllis-nice memory -thanks