Talk about a wine that over-delivers in a big way. Giampaolo Tabarrini makes some of the top red wines in the Montefalco hills of Umbria, and his 2018 Il Padrone Rosso is a wildly delicious blend of mainly Sangiovese with splashes of Sagrantino and Barbera.
If you love soulful, deep, and dark Italian reds, you will be blown away by this open-knit and generous red wine. Direct-imported by our friends at the Haw River Wine Man, we are offering this up at one of the best prices in the country. Only 500 cases were produced in the 2018 vintage, only 75 cases were imported, and we were lucky to snag 7 of those cases. Don't wait too long to order!
2018 Tabarrini Il Padrone Rosso Dell'Umbria
If you love Super Tuscans, you've got to give this a try. - 93 points - Yours Truly
ORDER NOW in our online store.
Any discussion about Umbrian red wines would not be complete without the mention of Giampaolo Tabarrini. This guy marches to the beat of his own drum, he is incredibly passionate, and he crafts some of the most compelling wines of Central Italy. Il Padrone translates to the "the master," and Giampaolo makes this wine to honor his grandfather, the master that trained him. When you get this in your glass, you will immediately recognize that Giampaolo was trained very well.
Located southwest of Tuscany and north of Rome, Umbria is a bit off the beaten path and a bit less traveled. For this reason, the region's wines are incredibly undervalued.....that's good news folks! If this wine carried a Tuscan appellation, it would easily run $25 to $30, and I have had many Super Tuscans in that price range that don't come close to the quality that this wine offers. Giampaolo uses vines from his younger plantings to craft this ripe and modern red wine that overflows with deliciousness.
Younger vines, in this case, aren't actually that young....these are firmly-rooted, 25 year-old Sangiovese, Barbera, and Sagrantino vines from organically farmed vineyards in and around the hilltop village of Montefalco, Umbria's most prestigious red wine zone. Macerated for over a month on the skins, this dark and fleshy red sees 12 months of aging in French oak. The finished wine is one that balances New World ripeness with Old World complexity.
Offering up aromas of warm and ripe red and dark berries, sweet tobacco, black olive, and herbs, this full-framed red doesn't disappoint on the palate. Cascading flavors of blueberry, dark cherry, hedonistic dark chocolate, and subtle oak nuances glide across the palate with ease. There's just enough tannin and acidity here to keep things balanced and harmonious.
Ready to drink tonight with a burger, a hearty stew, or any sort of classic Italian fare, this won't make old bones, but it will offer great drinking over the next few years. One of the top Central Italian values I've encountered in some time, I suspect those 84 bottles will be gone in a flash.
ORDER NOW in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville