Rich plum and cherry sauce mixes with hints of ginger, sweet spice and dusty rose as the 2016 Montefalco Sagrantino Colle alle Macchie blossoms in the glass. There’s an energy here that captures the attention; this is silky in feel yet also surprisingly juicy and spry, with tart cherries giving way to complementary notes of clove and cinnamon. Of course, this is a young Sagrantino, and as such, its grippy tannins take control through the finale, but there’s plenty of residual acids and zesty citrus to keep the expression quite interesting. That said, the best is truly yet to come. The Colle alle Macchie is produced from vines growing in clay rich soils and refined for 36 months in French oak, hence the balance of sweet spice, power and structure.