Background

Established in 1971, the family's estate is now run by Emma Di Filippo and her two sons Francesco and Filippo Franchi. Since 1994, the estate has been certified organic. Di Filippo believes in respecting the rhythm of nature by adopting organic cultivation and following the philosophy of biodynamic farming. This in turn, results in lower yields of fruit, which translates into exceptionally characteristic wines. Situated in Cannara, in Perugia, the 30-hectare estate overlooks Assisi, on the rolling hills between Torgiano and Montefalco in Umbria. With the utmost respect for the environment, four hectares of vineyard has been dedicated to low impact farming, where machines are not used and the work is carried out almost entirely with the help of animals. Draught horses plough the soils, which preserves the soil structure through low compaction; and geese are bred to ‘clean’ the vineyard. Over 400 geese run free and feed on the grass that spontaneously grows between the vines.

Tasting notes

A full, rich and opulent wine, packed with red berried fruits with a hint of flint and oaky spice. The lovely texture built on fine tannins leads to a deliciously long finish.

Winemaking

The grapes were fermented using traditional red vinification methods in temperature controlled stainless steel vats using wild, indigenous yeasts. The wild yeasts help to impart the best expression of the terroir. Prolonged maceration helped to extract the colour, flavours without over extracting the tannins, in which the Sagrantino variety is naturally high. Maturation took place for 24 months in French oak barriques, of second use. The wine was bottled without fining and spent a further 24 months being cellared in bottle.

Food pairings

It goes perfectly with duck breast, sugar snap peas, stuffed peppers or braised chicken, especially in red wine.

Awards