Montefalco

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The production area is characterised by four pedological sub-zones, including fluvio-lacustrine conglomerates with yellow sands that impart minerality characteristics to the wines.
• The other sub-zones comprise lacustrine clays and sands with well-drained sandy and gravelly soils, Holocene sandy-gravelly alluvial deposits on flat surfaces, and Miocene-age marls with yellowish sandstones.
• The altitudinal range for viticulture spans from 220 to 472 metres on the higher hillside ridges, with varying slopes and aspects that create a broad range of microclimates.
• The climate shows Mediterranean–sub-continental characteristics, with warm but not oppressive summers and moderately rainy winters, with mean annual rainfall ranging from 750 to 1,300 millimetres.
• The soils most widely planted with vines are calcareous-clay in composition, with a moderate skeleton and an active limestone content ranging from 5.5 to 9.2%, with alkaline pH values of 7.8–8.2.

• In 1622, Cardinal Boncompagni, papal legate of Perugia, tightened municipal penalties to the point of prescribing the gallows for anyone who cut a grapevine.
• Harvest operations are generally late, in keeping with the ripening times of the grape varieties, in particular Sagrantino, Trebbiano Spoletino, Sangiovese, and Grechetto.
• Traditional vine-training systems have evolved over time, from the palmette to the spur-trained cordon and through to Guyot.
• Montefalco rosso may be released only after a minimum ageing period of 18 months, while longer ageing gives rise to Montefalco rosso riserva. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Montefalco rosso riserva has a ruby-red colour tending towards garnet with age, an intense and fruity nose, sometimes with spiced and balsamic notes, and a dry, persistent palate.
• Montefalco Grechetto has a straw-yellow colour of varying depth, sometimes tending towards golden, a delicate and fruity nose with notes of apple, pear, and peach, sometimes pineapple or citrus, and a slightly bitter palate of good structure.

• The soils' good endowment of available phosphorus and potassium helps to enhance the savouriness of the white wines Montefalco and Montefalco Grechetto.
• The calcareous-clay texture of the soils and their good phosphorus and potassium content allow the vine to develop the polyphenolic and pigment compounds in the grape skins, which will contribute colour, aromas, and structure to the red wine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0845
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco