Umberto Cesari Liano Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
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Suckling
James
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The character of Sangiovese and the fascination of Cabernet Sauvignon together yield an intense wine, with scents of sour black cherry and subtle hints of vanilla and spice.
Blend: 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Pine cones, vanilla, coffee and dark cherries on the nose. A rich, full-bodied blend of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon with tight, fine-grained tannins and a long, spicy finish. Generous oak but has ripe, juicy fruit to balance.
Other Vintages
2016-
Suckling
James
Following his dream to create the highest quality Sangiovese, Umberto Cesari purchased a 20-hectare vineyard in the Emilia-Romagna region in 1967 — this vineyard was the beginning of what is now the prestigious Umberto Cesari winery.
A Sangiovese pioneer, Umberto defied common opinion that wines from Emilia-Romagna could not be high quality. Despite having no family history in winemaking, Cesari committed himself to creating outstanding Sangiovese, a passion that continues to drive the winery today.
Now spanning 170 hectares, the Umberto Cesari winery sits in the picturesque hillsides of Emilia-Romagna and is an esteemed leader in Italian winemaking. The estate consists of six separate farmed parcels in Castel San Pietro Terme: Podere Casetta, Parolino, Laurento, Cà Grande, Liano, and Tauleto. Majority of their wines are estate grown, with the exception of the MOMA wines which are produced from 180 hectares of neighboring vineyards under long-term lease. All wines are fermented and bottled at the state-of-the-art winery. Special attention is given to clonal selection, trellising techniques, and vineyard management. The winery uses modern practices like soft pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation, and cold bottling under a nitrogen blanket. Further, each wine undergoes intense quality analyses to ensure it meets Umberto Cesari’s strict standards.
In addition to its passion for superior winemaking, Umberto Cesari is also committed to technological innovation. The winery invests 5% of its revenue into research and development each year and works with the Department of Crop Sciences of the University of Bologna. The winery is also dedicated to the environment, using vineyard treatments with low environmental impact.
Today, Umberto is joined by his children, Gianmaria and Ilaria, who continue the family’s commitment and passion for excellence in winemaking.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
Extending from the Adriatic coast in the east, to the border of the Mediterranean Ligurian region in the west, Emilia Romagna is a large, central Italian region focused on a wide array of gastronomic specialties. The plains of Emilia host four well-defined subzones for its famous, lightly sparkling red, Lambrusco. The more coastal Romagna has the capacity to produce impressive wines from Sangiovese and Albana.