Rocca di Fabbri Estate was founded in 1984 by Pietro Vitali. He chose the Montefalco area because of its ancient grape-growing and winemaking traditions, whose practices were first introduced by the French Benedictine Monks, but later lost after the mid-sixteenth century. His desire was to replant those native grapes using special vine-growing methods in order to produce wines that could embody the fragrances of his homeland.

The inside of the Rocca, a fortress dating back to the 14th century, has been restored in the '80s to create the enchanting wine cellar, and a new building was built to house the modern winemaking equipment. Rocca di Fabbri has the privilege of making wine using only the grapes grown in the estate and, thanks to the proximity between the vineyards and the winery, the grapes are processed as soon as they are harvested.

Today, Rocca di Fabbri is run by the new generation of Vitali family. The estate extends over 60 hectares of vineyards producing iconic wines in Umbria.

On the label: Montefalco held up by St. Fortunato, from a painting by Francesco Melanzio (15th century).

This blend of Sangiovese & Sagrantino has aromas of toasted oak, mocha and blackberry preserves. The dense palate offers dried black cherry, fig, espresso, toast and clove alongside chewy, drying tannins. Complex and long, this dense wine is a great pairing with roasted and grilled meat, sausage and aged cheeses.

The vineyards are located in Montefalco on South/Southeast facing hills at 650 feet above sea level. The soils are a mixture of clay with good drainage. The vines were planted from 1999-2004.

The Sangiovese was harvested the first week of October, the Sagrantino last week of October, macerated and left to soak with the skins for 15 days in a temperature controlled environment with 2 pumpovers daily. The juice is then fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged for 8 month in steel and 12 months in large oak barrels. The finished wine is then bottled 20 months after the harvest.