2006 Marchesi Antinori Muffato della Sala

Marchesi Antinori is synonymous with the best of Italian winemaking. The Antinori family has been in the wine producing business for 26 generations and it now one of the most successful and admired producers in Italy. Based in Tuscany and Umbria, the family has in recent decades bought estates in other parts of Italy as well as the United States. The business is led by Marchese Piero Antinori, who is respected for his passionate attention to tradition and terroir as well as his interest in innovation and new ideas. Antinori originally made its reputation by producing Chianti Classico, though these days it is equally known for its Super Tuscans -- Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri, Solaia and Tignanello. Super Tuscans are blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Merlot or Syrah, and were among the first blended wines in Italy. Marchesi Antinori owns about 4,000 acres of vineyards and produces between 40,000 and 50,000 cases of its three Super Tuscans annually.

Umbria is a relatively small region tucked up against the eastern edge of Tuscany and the Marche’s western border. A rich agricultural area famous for olive oil, grains and black truffles, commercial winemaking was not a priority until the mid-20th century, when Giorgio Lungarotti slowly turned his family’s long-held estate from a general agricultural enterprise to commercial vineyards and a winery. In 1968 the area was awarded its first DOC appellation. Today there are two DOCGs and ten DOCs in Umbria, and 30% of the 41,000 vineyard acres are in classified appellations. Umbria is now the sixth largest of Italy’s 20 regions in the quantity t of DOC wines produced. Until the last decade or two, the white wines of Orvieto were Umbria’s best-known wines. Orvieto blends often include the regional grapes Grechetto and Verdello, and may also include Trebbiano and Drupeggio. With the rise of the Lungarotti winery and several others, however, distinctive red wines have also become part of the Umbrian wine portfolio. Sangiovese is the dominant red grape, and it is used for blending. But the unique red grape of Umbria is Sagrantino, a deep, dark grape that makes tannic, spicy wines. Sagrantino accounts for only about 250 acres of Umbria’s vineyards, and it grows nowhere else in Italy, one reason why Sagrantino has become something of a cult wine. Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Canaiolo are also grown.