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Livon with its 250 hectares total and about 1.2 mln bottles remains a farm with full possession and control of its own estates and thus the grapes. It is crucial to clarify this kind of information when dealing with numbers of a certain scale and groups that too easily risk raising the suspicion that they are characterized by commercial traits. Actually, to prove the contrary, even before the glasses, a rather clear and focused project is evident: it aims to identify the best territories for each wine. Everything started in the 60s when Doriano Livon invests on his dream that soon became a success in Friuli region (north-east of Italy); he was then joined by his sons (Valneo and Tonino) and together invested in new territories outside the region. So, in the 1980s they invested in Tuscany in the heart of Chianti Classico and in the 1990s they were intrigued by a concentrated wine which started to become popular thanks to its powerful character in line with the trend of that time: Sagrantino. This is how Colsanto winery was founded in Umbria region, at the borders with Toscana; they bought the current estate in 2001 around a farmhouse of the 18th century in the town of Bevagna and despite the presence of wheat Livon family glimpsed the productive and receptive potential of what is now easy for us to recognize as a typical (Tuscan) wine estate.

  • Colsanto – the company

Twenty hectares with 7500 plants per hectare with the red grapes: Sangiovese, Sagrantino, Merlot and Montepulciano. The white grape/wine Trebbiano Spoletino arrived only in a second moment despite the resistance of the owners more accustomed to imagining the production of whites in their own Friuli region, better known as a land of (great) white wines, here in Italy. An important density that on a block of clay allows a certain competition between the plants’ roots, a crucial element considering that the precipitations are limited and the roots can so penetrate more deeply to access on reserves of water and nutrients.

Moreover, the ventilation is evident, yet low yields allow to maximize the concentration of Sagrantino grapes that requires so much matter to balance its impressive tannic structure.

  • Colsanto – the wines

UMBRIA IGP CANTALUCE 2017

One of my favorite Trebbiano Spoletino here in Umbria. Vinified and aged in big barrels at low temperatures to prolong the fermentation as well as the ageing on fine lees in order to define a certain complexity.

Bright as the name itself suggests. Intense on the nose with notes of elderflower, mango, broom, flint, preserved peach, toasted almond and white pepper with puffs of grapefruit and butterscotch. Great balance on the palate with a fascinating glyceric texture and controlled structure.

MONTEFALCO ROSSO DOC 2015

Sangiovese 60%, Sagrantino 15% and Montepulciano for a wine that refines both in big barrels and barrique.

Medium ruby. Intense and concentrated with notes of chestnut, cedar wood, forest floor, wild berries and a general balsamic touch before opening to chocolate and a blood note in the background. Warm and structured with imposing tannins, certainly gastronomic. In line with the warm vintage and the clay soil.

SAGRANTINO DI MONTEFALCO DOCG 2013

100% Sagrantino matured in big barrels. A significant vintage that launches the new course of this wine thanks to the maturity of the vines.

Deep ruby and bright. Kirsch, black pepper, tobacco, walnut and small ripe red berries define an olfactory picture in full definition that is confirmed by the sip: tannic, warm and concentrated, with ripe tannins and an enormous potential for ageing.

SAGRANTINO DI MONTEFALCO DOCG “MONTARONE” 2012

The cru named after the hill where the company is located. 100% Sagrantino aged in barriques for 36 months.

Paradoxically more mature than the previous one, given the stronger influence of small barrels. Garnet shades introduce a more oxidative aromas: dried violet, walnut, mushrooms and plums refreshed with a touch of liquorice’s roots. “Younger” on the palate with a more aggressive tannin and a less defined balance.

montarone area

PASSITO UMBRIA IGT “MONTARONE” 2015

A delicious and dense sweet version of Sagrantino with a great balance: black cherry, cherry jam, cinchona and licorice. Tannin and acidity perfectly balance sugar concentration.

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