Our wine year is beginning in a delicious way with the tasting of a late release Sangiovese. Not just any Sangiovese, but a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano crafted responsibly by a winery that takes its social commitments as seriously as its commitment to biodiversity and healthy soils. And the Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano Late Release 2015 wine bottle label, and […]
Today we are tasting a Chianti Classico made by Marchesi Frescobaldi, a Tuscan family with 700 years of history in the region. Tenuta Perano blends that long family history with Chianti’s traditional grape, Sangiovese, made in Chianti’s most historic region. We received this wine as a tasting sample. The People The 30th generation of the Marchesi Frescobaldi family now manages […]
Three wine estates sit under the umbrella of San Felice in Tuscany representing three different regions. San Felice is comprised of 370 acres of vines (and 15,000 olive trees) in Chianti Classico. Campogiovanni sits in Montalcino with approximately 57 acres of vineyards, 34 of which are dedicated to making Brunello. Bell’Aja is located close to the ocean in Bolgheri where […]
Avignonesi was established in 1974 and sits in Tuscany’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano denomination. Sangiovese is, of course, the focus of its Nobile wines. Viticultural practices embrace organic and biodynamic principles, and not just in word. Avignonesi is certified organic and biodynamic, which means they fulfill the required record keeping and inspections; it’s rigorous, time consuming and expensive, but good […]
As the wind blows through the trees in our backyard, the leaves now rustle in a way that sounds more like fall than summer. Mornings are cool and damp. Fall is definitely in the air, in spite of warm afternoon temperatures. It’s time to think about introducing more red wines into our usual white wine lineup. Sangiovese is a delicious […]
One of the highlights of my wine year in 2023 was an introduction to Avignonesi and their single-vineyard Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines. I had the good fortune of meeting Xiaowen DU, Marketing Manager and Assistant Winemaker at Avignonesi, and Master of Wine student in April. We connected via Zoom, she in Montepulciano with Avignonesi’s vineyards over her shoulder and […]
The story of Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri wines provide an interesting contrast between Tuscan regions that have achieved their prestige in very different ways — one through the embrace of tradition and a local variety and the other by throwing off tradition and embracing international varieties. The wines are very different, as you would expect. We received these wines […]
Avignonesi is situated in the hills of Tuscany on the edge of Montepulciano near Cortona. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is their flagship wine and while they are Sangiovese specialists, and dedicated to the variety, they are also looking to native grape varieties as a hedge against climate change. Their organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard are carried into the […]
While it is true that we enjoy red wines more often in the cooler months of fall and winter, we are always happy to discover red wines to enjoy during spring and summer too. When we do drink red wines in warmer weather we prefer red wines that aren’t quite so rich and heavy bodied. We still look for complex […]
Pelletiere Estate Vineyard & Winery is tucked away in the Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA on Paso’s westside. The 16-acre property is home to an interesting collection of Italian grape varieties covering a hillside above Las Tablas Willow Creek Road. In a sub-AVA that is better known for Rhône-style wines, proprietor Janis Pelletiere Denner’s Italian heritage has inspired her […]
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.