TN: Caprai's Sagrantino di Montefalco (Umbria)

1995 Arnaldo Caprai 25 Anni Sagrantino di Montefalco, Umbria

Color as dark as a black plum. Strong earthy nose with slight creaminess.
My last of 2 bottles. Quite sweet but not cloying, some chalky tannin, creamy, black fruit. A big wine. Assuming that this had similar wood treatment as the newer Caprai wines that I had, this bottle’s wood had integrated. Quite similar to a few mature Cali cab that I have had. 13.5% alcohol according to the label, but not a distraction nor obtrusive at any point. Without a doubt, a modern-styled Sagrantino. I had this with an excellent dry-aged porterhouse purchased from my local butcher and the wine showed well, but I wouldn’t wait any further if I had additional bottles. B+.

I’m not going to pound the table for Caprai wines, and as a side-note, in general I still maintain my preference for Paolo Bea’s traditional Sagrantino wines and natural wine-making style. Yes, Caprai definitely epitomize the modern-styled Umbrian wines. However, I think that Caprai had set out to do how he wants his wines to be and has done well with his intention.

Ramon

Where do you think the 95 is on the aging curve? Do you see room for improvement or softening?

Thanks for the note, Ramon. Caprai does indeed seem very competent in achieving his objectives, as you say. It all boils down to stylistic preferences.

Where do you think the 95 is on the aging curve? Do you see room for improvement or softening?

This bottle certainly improved from the first that I had one about 2 years ago, which was still quite a tannic beast. At this point, it is soft enough for me and still has that very slight harshness/chalkiness that I think complements it. Any softer and it’ll be a bit of too much fruit for me. Having said that, I think that there’s still room to soften out that chalkiness.

Btw, I recently had the 2000 vintage and it was still harshly tannic and a beast of a wine. I also stored a few 04s and ‘05s which I hope can turn, at the very least, into something like this ’95 when the time comes.

Thanks for the note, Ramon. Caprai does indeed seem very competent in achieving his objectives, as you say. It all boils down to stylistic preferences.

I agree, Oswaldo. Sagrantino-drinking camp is certainly divided when it comes to Caprai. Interesting, and to some degree quite ironic, is that according to most literature that I read, he gets the credit for putting this region/varietal in the wine-drinking map.

Btw, I recently had the 2000 vintage and it was still harshly tannic and a beast of a wine. I also stored a few 04s and ‘05s which I hope can turn, at the very least, into something like this ’95 when the time comes.

so I guess I have a few more years for my one bottle of 2001 to enter the drinking window.

Btw, I recently had the 2000 vintage and it was still harshly tannic and a beast of a wine. I also stored a few 04s and ‘05s which I hope can turn, at the very least, into something like this ’95 when the time comes.

so I guess I have a few more years for my one bottle of 2001 to enter the drinking window.

Of course, if you wait all that time, patiently, the bottle might be...corked.

Btw, I recently had the 2000 vintage and it was still harshly tannic and a beast of a wine. I also stored a few 04s and ‘05s which I hope can turn, at the very least, into something like this ’95 when the time comes.

so I guess I have a few more years for my one bottle of 2001 to enter the drinking window.

I drank a 15 year old bottle that I though is just entering it's good drinking stage. Plus, a 2000 vintage, considered a relatively riper year than the 2001, that I recently had was a tannic beasts. I'd say you will have a lot more years of bottle aging on the 2001.