Skip to main content

Tenute Lunelli Ziggurat Montefalco Rosso 2010

My husband asked me to make Bolognese sauce with pasta the other day so I took the opportunity to open this bottle of Tenute Lunelli Ziggurat Montefalco Rosso 2010* that I just received. While the most prominent reds of Umbria are labeled Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG and are made from 100% Sagrantino grapes, the easier drinking Montefalco Rosso DOC wines are made from a blend of grapes with food-friendly Sangiovese being one of the main components. 

The Tenute Lunelli Ziggurat Montefalco Rosso 2010 contains 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Cabernet and Merlot sourced from the family owned vineyards in Montefalco and Bevagna. This wine spent 12 months aging in barrel and 6 months in the bottle before it was released. The high percentage of Sangiovese makes it a classic pairing with pasta and tomato based sauce while the addition of the Sagrantino and the other international varieties makes the wine even more meat friendly.

We enjoyed it with our simple week night meal of salad, bread and pasta with meat sauce. It was a bright ruby red in the glass with aromas of ripe cherries and raspberries with a bit of Chinese 5-spice. It was dry with moderate tannins and good acidity with fresh cherry/berry flavors and a long, lightly spiced finish. Balanced, easy-drinking and casually elegant, we loved it! This wine is priced at approximately $13; it is highly recommended and I will be seeking out more.

*I received this bottle as a media sample from the Consorzio Montefalco.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lunch at Cépage paired with Paso Robles Sparkling Wine

Cépage is the elegant new restaurant inside of the recently refurbished Paris Valley Road Estate & Winery Tasting Room. Cépage opened in 2022 and currently serves lunch and weekend brunch. Paris Valley Estate is a fairly new brand that is named after the two lane road in Monterey County where the owners, the Stoller family, planted their first vineyard over 20 years ago. The new name inspired them to renovate the former Arciero Winery in the opulent style of French Grand Cru domaines they had previously visited, explained winemaker, Doug Hidinger. I was visiting on a rainy day so I did not get to tour the grounds or take many outside pictures, unfortunately. The table was set and ready upon arrival. Hidinger was at lunch to present both the Paris Valley Road Sparkling Wine 2019 and the Sextant Edna Valley Sparkling Wine 2012 from a sister property of Paris Valley Road. Owner/Winemaker of Vino Vargas , Pedro Vargas, was also there to present his three sparkling wines. All of these

Tasting Collavini

On a recent zoom tasting with Collavini owner, Luigi Collavini, I was able to taste six of the top selling wines from the Eugenio Collavini collection. Collavini winery is located in Corno di Rosazzo in the Collio DOC appellation, this area is a highly regarded part of Friuli. The winery is near the border with Slovenia is the area where the hillside slopes become steeper and the cooling Bora wind helps maintain the grapes natural acidity.  Luigi Collavini shared that the mountains were still white with snow and the shimmering sea could be seen below the flatlands. The winery is located 50 kilometers from the mountains and 30 kilometers from the sea so both influence the winery’s terroir. He stated that the cold north winds give the wines freshness and accent the minerality while the warm winds from the south increase the size of the grapes and the volume of wine produced as well as the grapes’ sugar level and, therefore, alcohol content.  The history of the land begins millions of yea