2018 Sportoletti Villa Fidelia Rosso
The 2018 Sportoletti “Villa Fidelia” Rosso highlights the refined and refined nature of Umbrian wines which represent the most excellent
Producer
Sportoletti
I have reviewed one wine from Sportoletti: the 2018 Sportoletti Villa Fidelia Rosso (94 points).
The Sportoletti family has farmed the hills between Assisi and Spello for generations, but only began bottling its own wine in the late 1970s. Today, led by brothers Ernesto and Remo with the advice of consultant Riccardo Cotarella, the estate is a reference point for modern Umbrian wine, famous for its values, particularly the Assisi Rosso and the flagship “Villa Fidelia”.
Sportoletti wines are plush, polished and fruit-forward, proof that Umbria can make Bordeaux blends to rival Tuscany’s. Villa Fidelia comes from vineyards around Assisi, where clay-limestone soils and a temperate climate allow slow, balanced ripening.
The 2018 Villa Fidelia Rosso, based on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is deep ruby, with black cherry, blackberry and cassis, violet, graphite, vanilla and sweet spice, and hints of forest floor and tobacco. Full-bodied and velvety, with ripe tannins and vibrant acidity, it layers plum, blackcurrant and dark chocolate with cedar and clove on a long finish, and it rewards five to seven years in the cellar.