Tenute Lunelli – Tenuta Castelbuono | Organic estate winery in the commune of Bevagna in the Montefalco region of Umbria, Italy.

Owner | Tenute Lunelli.

Staff | Consultant 2015+ Luca D’Attoma (2015 being his first full vintage).

Vineyards | 16ha. In Bevagna. 400 metres. The estate is working with the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all-Adige on saving biotypes of Sagrantino.

Organic certification | 2014 First vintage with full organic certification.

Winery | Designed by contemporary artist Arnaldo Pomodoro to look like a turtle shell or ‘carapace’. Tronconic wooden vats.

Red wines

Montefalco Rosso DOC, Ziggurat | 2016 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon combined. 12 months in barrels and tonneaux. 40,000 bottles. Mainly sold in Italy. Crisp red fruit and oak, seductive styling of tannins (visit, 17 Feb 2019).

Montefalco Rosso Riserva DOC, Lampante | Named after the towering ‘red arrow’ located just outside the winery. 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon combined. 18m in Slavonian oak vats. Fruit is dark and plummy with a slightly drying quality (visit, 17 Feb 2019).

Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Carapace | 2009 100% Sagrantino. 15%. Rather dusty when tasted at the estate 17 Feb 2019. |  2014 Some CO2, slightly primary for a wine of this age (visit, 17 Feb 2019). | 2015 100% Sagrantino. 24m in botte grande. Plummy sweet-tasting polished redcurrant fruit, slightly drying end but not bad (visit, 17 Feb 2019).

Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG Passito | 2014 100% Sagrantino. Picked. Dried on straw mats (‘graticci’) from Sept to November. 12m in oak, 10m in stainless steel. Attractive sweet-savouriness (visit, 17 Feb 2019).