Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Fiorfiore 2011
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Cantina Roccafiore farms 15 hectares (almost 40 acres) of vineyards in the rolling hills of the Umbrian countryside near the town of Todi. The Baccarelli family (father and son) bought the property in 1999, planted the local Grechetto and Sangiovese along with small parcels of Moscato Giallo, Sagrantino, and Montepulciano, and made their first vintage in 2005. They chose a clone of Sangiovese that is native to Todi called VCR207, which is similar to the clone used in Montalcino to make Brunello. It produces wines with more elegance and finesse and they preferred it for its local origin. Formerly in the energy business, they kept a mind toward sustainability from the beginning, building a renewable facility, using organic fuels for their tractors, and farming organically. Young Luca Baccarelli feels that this form of cultivation makes for soils richer in organic materials, fewer vine diseases, and healthier grapes.
Grechetto, the region’s star white variety, produces Umbria’s best crsip and tactile white wines,. Whether on its own or as part of a blend, this grape has elevated the general quality of whites throughout this central, land-locked Italian region. Producers tend to favor its use in the native Orvieto white wine, a dynamic blend composed of varying percentages of Trebbiano, Grechetto, Verdello and Canaiolo Bianco, to name a few. Somm Secret—Many famous Sagrantino producers from Montefalco also produce single varietal Grechettos from the adjacent, Colli Martani DOC.
Centered upon the lush Apennine Range in the center if the Italian peninsula, Umbria is one of the few completely landlocked regions in Italy. It’s star red grape variety, Sagrantino, finds its mecca around the striking, hilltop village of Montefalco. The resulting wine, Sagrantino di Montefalco, is an age-worthy, brawny, brambly red, bursting with jammy, blackberry fruit and earthy, pine forest aromas. By law this classified wine has to be aged over three years before it can be released from the winery and Sagrantino often needs a good 5-10 more years in bottle before it reaches its peak. Incidentally these wines often fall under the radar in the scene of high-end, age-begging, Italian reds, giving them an almost cult-classic appeal. They are undoubtedly worth the wait!
Rosso di Montefalco, on the other had, is composed mainly of Sangiovese and is a more fruit-driven, quaffable wine to enjoy while waiting for the Sagrantinos to mellow out.
Among its green mountains, perched upon a high cliff in the province of Terni, sits the town of Orvieto. Orvieto, the wine, is a blend of at least 60% Trebbiano in combination with Grechetto, with the possible addition of other local white varieties. Orvieto is the center of Umbria’s white wine production—and anchor of the region’s entire wine scene—producing over two thirds of Umbria’s wine. A great Orvieto will have clean aromas and flavors of green apple, melon and citrus, and have a crisp, mineral-dominant finish.