B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
A superb choice for an everyday Italian red, the appealing 90 pt. 2018 Lungarotti Montefalco Rosso Riserva offers ripe dark spiced fruit with fresh acidity and supple tannins, a beautifully crafted Sangiovese-dominated blend from Tuscany’s lesser known “neighbor” that’s easy to pair with food and value priced to pour freely.
Based in Torgiano in the heart of Umbria, the Lungarotti family has been producing wine in the region for over two centuries, its winery founded in the 1960’s by the pioneering winemaker Giorgio Lungarotti, described as “Umbrian wine's foremost ambassador and transformative figure” by the Wine Spectator and now run by his daughters Chiara and Teresa. Reorganizing the estate after her father’s passing in 1999 with the help of famed Bordeaux consultant Denis Dubourdieu, Chiara purchased 20 hectares in the Montefalco DOC, planting Sangiovese, Merlot and the indigenous Sagrantino utilizing organic viticulture and constructing a new hilltop winery in Turrita di Montefalco to produce the Montefalco Rosso. A blend of mostly Sangiovese with smaller amounts of Merlot and Sagrantino, the 2018 Lungarotti Montefalco Rosso was aged in a mix of large casks and barriques and bottle aged for 10 months longer before release, yielding rich dark fruit layered with balsamic notes and soft, approachable tannins, ready for immediate enjoyment.
From the lesser-known Umbria region described by the Wine Spectator’s Robert Camuto as “a bonanza of exciting diversity and excellent value,” the enticing 90 pt. Lungarotti Montefalco Rosso checks all the boxes for an “easy to reach for” Italian red blend, boasting layered fruit with considerable structure at an affordable price that makes it easy to have plenty on hand to enjoy often.
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