'Sacred & Profane' Sagrantino 2022

A$42.99

The sagrantino variety is mostly only found in one small area in Italy, the historic village of Montefalco in the heart of Umbria. It is one of the rare red varieties to have colour in both the skin and the pulp, making it typically an intensely dark and tannic wine. Historically the grape was used for sweet passito wine, but since the 1970s it has more often been made as a dry table wine, sometimes blended with other local varieties.

The 2022 vintage of Sagrantino was harvested later than any previous vintage, on the 14th of April. Fruit was expertly machine-harvested and transported to the winery for fermentation on skins, then pressed after two weeks once the ferment was complete. The wine was transferred to a pair of French oak puncheons and after a rack and return in Spring, it was blended and bottled in March 2023.

It is believed that the name Sagrantino comes from Sacristry, most likely as the grape was used to make the revered sweet wine that was donated to the Abbey in Montefalco. The sacred-profane dichotomy was a concept posited by Ēmile Durkheim, where the sacred represents the interests of the many, whereas the profane serves the interest of the individual. I also like the way wine is a representation of nature (sacred) and human (profane).

The sagrantino variety is mostly only found in one small area in Italy, the historic village of Montefalco in the heart of Umbria. It is one of the rare red varieties to have colour in both the skin and the pulp, making it typically an intensely dark and tannic wine. Historically the grape was used for sweet passito wine, but since the 1970s it has more often been made as a dry table wine, sometimes blended with other local varieties.

The 2022 vintage of Sagrantino was harvested later than any previous vintage, on the 14th of April. Fruit was expertly machine-harvested and transported to the winery for fermentation on skins, then pressed after two weeks once the ferment was complete. The wine was transferred to a pair of French oak puncheons and after a rack and return in Spring, it was blended and bottled in March 2023.

It is believed that the name Sagrantino comes from Sacristry, most likely as the grape was used to make the revered sweet wine that was donated to the Abbey in Montefalco. The sacred-profane dichotomy was a concept posited by Ēmile Durkheim, where the sacred represents the interests of the many, whereas the profane serves the interest of the individual. I also like the way wine is a representation of nature (sacred) and human (profane).

Jeni Port - Halliday Wine Companion
”Fruit off Chalmers Heathcote vineyard. Aged in mature French oak hogsheads. Vino Intrepido? Definitely! Inky, deeply concentrated and tannin-proud, the grape finds itself in the hands of a maker who allows it its tannin head while bringing forward a complexity of ripe dark fruits, crushed herbs, earth and briar, black olive and black tea. Tight as a drum, dry and chalky; it won't say no to further time in the cellar.” 91 points

Huon Hooke - The Real Review
”Medium-depth red laced with purple tints; there are dried herb, tealeaf, chocolate and dried cherry aromas, the palate medium-full bodied, taut and firmly structured. There is a touch of hardness in the tannins that suggests it needs some protein-rich food—but that's the nature of this grape.” 90 points

Silver Medal - Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show 2025