Avignonesi Winery Tasting with Special Guest Giuseppe Santarelli at Wine Watch

“Most bad," the host concluded. "If you ask me, something sinister lurks in men who avoid wine, games, the company of lovely women, and dinnertime conversation. Such people are either gravely ill or secretly detest everyone around them.”

― Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

I have always said I don't trust people that don't drink wine....

I have also always said that Vino Nobile de Montepulciano is the best value in Tuscany you get a similar quality wine to Brunello di Montalcino at close to 50% of the price.  Avignonesi is one of the benchmark wineries from this region and tonight we have all of the wineries current releases along with a few older vintage wines send in from the winery from our good friend Giuseppe Santarelli. 

This will be a walk around tasting in the courtyard and Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines, the fee for this tasting is $55 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Avignonesi Tasting at Wine Watch with Special Guest Giuseppe Santarelli
Friday February 3rd
7:00 PM

Avignonesi Cantaloro Rosso 2014     
Price: $15.75          Sale $13.86 Case $161
A blend of Italian and international varieties, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Sangiovese from selected vineyards from our estates in the Cortona and Montepulciano production areas.this wine displays rich, yet fragrant fruity aromas, intertwined with notes of Mediterranean herbs and subtle spicy hints.

Avignonesi Rosso Di Montepulciano 2014 
Price: $19.50          Sale $17.16 Case $199

Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2013
 List Price: $30.00             Sale $26.40         Case $306
Quantity in Stock: 9

"Pure Sangiovese from a vintage characterized by a cool and dry spring and a hot summer, resulting in a subtle, elegant Vino Nobile. This is the first vintage which has fruit from all of our 8 vineyard locations in Montepulciano."

2012 Avignonesi Desiderio Merlot Cortona
Price: $64.00    Your Price: $51.20

A blend of 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This vintage of Desiderio displays fresh notes of forest fruits such as blueberry and raspberry, intertwined with hints of sweet spices and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, it is long, soft and full-bodied with silky tannins and a persistent, fruity finish with a touch of dark chocolate.

2011 Avignonesi Desiderio Merlot Cortona
Price: $64.00    Your Price: $51.20
Quantity in Stock: 10

This is from their vineyards in Cortona with a high amount of blue clay, Desidario is the name of the famous bull that lived on the estate, and let's just say he was the breeder of big bulls that made the beefsteak Florentine famous- this is the breeding stock. Dark earth forest floor like aromas to the dark plum and blueberry fruit very intense with notes of mocha and fine herbs, nice complexity on the nose. A big and chunky wine on the tongue but has wonderful freshness and balance through the finish, dark spices and plum and cherry fruit to the end. Finish 45+ Most Excellent

 Avignonesi Grifi Toscana IGT 2011
Price: $60.00     Sale $52.80     Case $612

(95 Points) The 2011 Grifi is more than a worthy successor to the 2010 and although different, is just as delicious.  The 2011 is a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Cabernet which is slightly odd because the former is the darker wine. Deep ruby with violet highlights at the rim, the 2011 displays aromas of berries, plum, mint and flowers. Flavors follow the nose with loads of concentration with added notes of leather and anise. Again, the terroir comes through with lots of integrated, dusty, powdery tannins. Overall, a fleshier experience relative to the structure of the 2010.  I love it.- John Fodera, Tuscan Vine

2010 Avignonesi Grifi Toscana IGT
Price: $60.00    Your Price: $52.80               Case $612
Quantity in Stock: 9

This is a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon the best of the two terroir a they stopped making this in 1996 because of the demand for Vino Nobile. A good hand of dark currant and dark cherry fruit, licorice spice and notes of rosemary and fine herbs, this wine has lots of everything, it has the most complex bouquet of all the wines with dark coco and spice. A very rich wine on the tongue this wine got the most votes for first place and seemed to be the crowd favorite, and this wine had some immediate appeal even though it has sonderful structure there is a lot of ripe juicy fruit to the palate and a long mineral laced finish wiht dark spices and a good hand of that fresh earth that defines Tuscan wines. Finish 50+ Most Excellent +

Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Grand Annate 2011
Price: $106.25    Sale $93.50

The Vino Nobile Grandi Annate (Great Vintages) is the finest expression of Sangiovese from our Montepulciano vineyards. This wine is produced only in the very best years, when the climate brings optimum growing conditions to the vines, permitting the grapes to express all the complexity of the terroir, leading to a wine that is rich in character with the stamina to age for many years.
This selection of Sangiovese is medium ruby red colour. The ample bouquet opens with scents of camellias and wild roses, followed by notes of black currant and red plums, and hints of eucalyptus and sandalwood. The Grandi Annate is well-balanced and round, with concentration and structure coming from the soil and elegance and finesse coming from the age of the vines. The tannins are firm but silky, and the fruity, elegant mid-palate leads towards a long finish reminiscent of cedar.

Avignonesi 50/50 RED 2008    
Price $165.00    Sale $145.20

50% Merlot that is produced by Avignonesi in the cellars of the Lodola estate, located in Valiano, to the north-east of the historic town of Montepulciano.
50% Sangiovese, produced by Capannelle, that is located in Gaiole in Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany, between Florence and Siena.
50&50 has a deep, ruby red color. Aromas of blackcurrants and sour cherries are intertwined with scents of sandalwood, cloves, thyme and menthol. The flavour is rich and enveloping with lots of ripe fruit and warm notes of baking spices. Long-lingering and elegant, the finish is delicately balsamic. This is a wine suitable for long ageing in the bottle.

2000 Avignonesi Vin Santo 375ml
List Price: $233.00             Sale $205.04
When it comes to Vin Santo, nobody beats Avignonesi. The 2000 Vin Santo di Montepulciano is a wine of unlimited pleasure, decadence and opulence. This syrupy dessert wine pours into the glass in slow motion. It shows a level of richness and thickness that puts it closer to molasses or melted brown sugar in terms of consistency. The color is a deep shade of amber brown. The bouquet offers exciting tones of honey, candied fruit and marrons glacé. You also get knock out tones of Teriyaki sauce, white truffle and Indian spice that bring the wine's inherent complexity into the stratosphere. The mouthfeel is rich, tangy and crisp. This is a work of vinous beauty. (90 Points)  – Monica Larner Wine Advocate

Some older vintage wines available to taste

Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 1988 (3 Liter)

Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 1994

A nice smoky character to the nose cured meats, dark plum and cherry fruit.  This wine is still drinking nicely, wonderful balance still drinking nicely on the second.  Finish 35+     Excellent

Menu
Charcutiere and cheese plate
Pork belly bites with Cherry Balsamic reduction
Grilled Vegetable Panini with sundried tomato Vinaigrette
Arancini with Tomato coulis

This will be a walk around tasting in the courtyard and Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines, the fee for this tasting is $55 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

A bit about Avignonesi Winery:

The winery is named after the Avignonesi family, the founders of the original estate. Constant research and development aimed at expressing the true character of the Montepulciano terroir has, over time, earned the winery a well-deserved place among the flagship producers of Tuscany. In 2009, Avignonesi was acquired by Virginie Saverys who has since introduced organic farming methods to craft distinct, genuine wines with an even stronger character, and has acquired additional vineyards and a state-of-the-art winemaking facility in the Montepulciano appellation.

They believe that the life force of the earth and the uniqueness of their terroir are at the heart of the Avignonesi brand. Avignonesi is reborn from the soil of the vineyards with each vintage in wines that mirror the subtle flavors of the site and the special traits of each year.  The wines express the richness and beauty of the Montepulciano territory.

They respect the heritage of Montepulciano, where Sangiovese wines have been produced for centuries, and they wish to contribute to its future by being the finest representative of its heritage that they can be. They respect the innate character of each wine and seek to follow its natural evolutionary path from the soil to the cellar and - finally - to the bottle.  These wines are made from 100% Estate fruit, they cut the production to do this and they are all biodynamically farmed, 100% Sangiovese with minimal use of new oak, 2nd and 3rd passage.

Virginie was born in Ghent, Belgium and graduated in law from the University of Paris in 1983. Virginie was brought up in a family that always enjoyed fine wines and, as a wine lover, decided to invest in the Avignonesi winery in 2007, after having retired from her highly successful legal career and moving to Tuscany.  In 2009 she bought the whole of Avignonesi with the intention of taking a winery already recognised for its quality, innovative research and experimentation to a new level of excellence.

She is a strong believer in organic products and homeopathic medicine, so converting the winery to sustainable farming methods was a natural choice. Her aim at Avignonesi is to produce wines which do not only mirror the distinct identity of the terroir of Montepulciano, but wines which are healthier for her customers, healthier for the land and therefore for future generations.