Marmocchio

Marmocchio is the most ambitious red in the Agri Segretum range, made by Lorenzo De Monaco and Eileen Holland at their organic estate in Collazzone, in Umbria's Tiber River Valley. The name translates from Italian as rascal, a nod to the wine's big, bold and slightly unruly character. It is created from Sangiovese Grosso and Sagrantino, Umbria's own ancient indigenous grape, hand-picked and carefully selected from a specific section of the vineyard.

Because Sagrantino and Sangiovese Grosso reach full ripeness at different times, the two varieties are harvested and fermented separately. Each undergoes at least thirty days of maceration and skin contact in stainless steel, with manual punch-downs performed three times a day to maximise extraction. Once separated from the skins, the wine ages in French oak tonneaux for fifteen to eighteen months, followed by a further fifteen months resting in bottle before release, a long and patient process that shapes the wine's considerable structure.

The result is full-bodied and deep ruby red in colour, with important structure, rich tannins and layers of ripe cherry and dark berry fruit, lifted by subtle herbal notes. This is Umbria's traditional big red done properly, the kind of wine that calls for slow-cooked ragù, roasted game or a well-aged cheese, and rewards the patience it demands both in the cellar and in the glass. Only time can fully tame it, and that is exactly the point.