Raina Umbria Rosso della Gobba 2024

Sagrantino in a supporting role — 15% of Umbria's most tannic grape, softened by Sangiovese and Montepulciano into something you can actually drink young.

Grape Varietals & Region: A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Montepulciano and 15% Sagrantino, grown on north-east-facing vines at Turri di Montefalco, Umbria — Sagrantino's home turf, though here it plays a supporting role rather than standing alone, as it does in Montefalco's famous (and famously tannic) Sagrantino DOCG.

Taste Profile: A limpid, almost violet ruby colour thanks to the Montepulciano, with red fruit — cherry and sour cherry especially — and a floral freshness on the nose. The Sagrantino shows up as structure and grip rather than fruit, giving what could otherwise be an easy, juicy red some real spine.

Winemaking Process: Fermented and macerated on the skins with indigenous yeast for 10 days in stainless steel, then aged 18 months in stainless steel and a further 6 months in bottle — no oak at all, so what you taste is fruit and structure rather than barrel spice. Unfined and unfiltered.

Winemaker: Francesco Mariani is a chef as well as a vine grower, farming in Montefalco, Umbria alongside his friend and assistant Andrea Mattioli since 2002. Raina takes its name from the nickname of the previous owner of the field where they planted their first Sagrantino vines — a way of keeping the land's history tied to the wine. Ten hectares, farmed biodynamically between 220 and 300 metres above sea level, grow Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Merlot, Syrah, Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino. In 2022 the estate left the DOC system altogether, choosing to bottle everything as IGT Umbria instead.