"The 2004 Villa Fidelia is an elegant, sexy wine. Medium in body, it reveals gorgeous inner sweetness in its layered personality, with plenty of sweet dark fruit and well-integrated oak. This understated wine is immensely appealing now, but it will be even better in another year or two. Sportoletti's Villa Fidelia is one of the most compelling wines of Umbria. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it spends 12 months in small French oak barrels. The 2004 Villa Fidelia offers as good a relative value as readers are likely to find. Simply put, this is a terrific effort from the Sportoletti brothers and oenologist Riccardo Cotarella." - Parker

Review

Aromas of black fruit, damson and charred oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with a good core of fruit, fine tannins and a long, tasty finish. A full-blown Bordeaux blend. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2007. 3,000 cases made.

Wine maker notes

Production area : Assisi, Spello Area of vineyard : 6.00 hectares Altitude of vineyard : 400m above sea level Soil type : medium consistency, fairly sandy, shallow soil containing highly porous and permeable skeletal deriving from the weathering of the marine sandstone of the mother rock Training system : Spur Pruned cordon Vines per hectare : 6.000 Production per hectare : 5.500 kg Yield in wine : 60% Average age of the vines : 13 years Harvesting period : Merlot: third ten days of August; Cabernet: second ten days of September Vinification system and : steeping for about 18 days in stainless steel at a controlled temperature, with regular mixing Malolactic fermentation : entirely carried out Refining method : for about 12 months in French oak casks of 225 litre volume and then in the bottle

Technical notes

Chemical data Alcohol content : 14% vol. Total acidity : 5,00 g. per litre Dry extract : 36,10 g. per litre