Tenuta Bellafonte Sagrantino Montefalco Collenottolo 2017

Tenuta Bellafonte Sagrantino Montefalco Collenottolo 2017 is a powerful yet refined expression of Umbria’s flagship red grape, Sagrantino. Sourced from a single vineyard and crafted with minimal intervention, this wine captures the raw, authentic character of Montefalco while remaining impeccably balanced. It’s a bottle for serious wine lovers who appreciate structure, depth, and a clear sense of place.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2017 Collenottolo shows a deep, almost opaque ruby core with garnet reflections at the rim, hinting at both concentration and evolution. The nose is intense and layered: wild blackberry, black cherry, and plum are wrapped in notes of dried roses, Mediterranean herbs, licorice, dark chocolate, and a subtle earthiness, with a gentle spice from long aging in large oak casks. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, firmly structured Sagrantino with the grape’s signature tannins beautifully tamed by time and careful winemaking. Ripe black fruits, fig, and mulberry are supported by flavors of tobacco leaf, graphite, cocoa, and savory spice, all carried by a vibrant, mouthwatering acidity that keeps the wine lively despite its power. The finish is long, dry, and persistent, with fine-grained tannins that promise further development. While already approachable with proper aeration, this 2017 still has excellent aging potential and can easily evolve for another 10–15 years in a good cellar, gaining further complexity and tertiary notes.

Production
Collenottolo comes from estate vineyards in Montefalco, in the heart of Umbria, where Sagrantino thrives on hilly slopes with clay-limestone soils and good diurnal temperature shifts, lending both ripeness and freshness. Tenuta Bellafonte works with a strong respect for the land, using sustainable, low-intervention methods and harvesting the grapes by hand at optimal ripeness to ensure precise selection of bunches. In the cellar, fermentation typically occurs with native yeasts in concrete or large wooden vats, with extended maceration to extract color, flavor, and structure in a controlled way. The wine is then aged for an extended period—often around three years—in large Slavonian oak casks, followed by additional time in bottle before release, allowing the powerful Sagrantino tannins to integrate and the bouquet to fully develop.

Food & Serving
This is a quintessential food wine that shines alongside rich, flavorful dishes. Think slow-braised lamb shanks, wild boar ragù, grilled bistecca alla fiorentina, game birds, or hearty stews with mushrooms and herbs; aged pecorino and other mature hard cheeses also make an excellent pairing. Serve at 16–18°C to highlight its complexity without emphasizing the tannins. Decanting is strongly recommended—give it at least 1–2 hours in a decanter to allow the wine to open up aromatically and soften its structure, especially in its youth.

Producer
Tenuta Bellafonte is a relatively young but already highly respected estate in Montefalco, Umbria, founded with a clear focus on authenticity, sustainability, and expressing the character of Sagrantino and its terroir. The winery has quickly gained a reputation for crafting wines that are both powerful and elegant, emphasizing vineyard work, low yields, and minimal intervention in the cellar. By favoring concrete, large oak casks, native yeasts, and careful long aging, Bellafonte has positioned itself as one of the most compelling modern interpreters of Montefalco Sagrantino. The Collenottolo bottling, in particular, has drawn attention from critics and enthusiasts as a benchmark single-vineyard wine, underlining the estate’s significance within the Umbrian wine landscape.

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