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Montenidoli “Fiore” Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2019
Origin: Tuscany, Italy
Retail: $33.95 | $30.56
Montenidoli is a mountain above the appellation of San Gimignano. It is a large estate of roughly 200 hectares, though just 24 hectares are under vine, on a mountainside overlooking the picturesque town of San Gimignano with Chianti Classico in the distance. Elisabetta Fagiuoli is a pivotal figure when talking about the last 50 years of Tuscan winemaking. In fact, 2020 marked her 50th vintage. Many people think of Vernaccia di San Gimignano as a simple white wine meant to be consumed fresh and young, but the whites of Montenidoli prove that does not have to be the case. While the wines show well on release, they greatly improve both with extended aeration in the glass or decanter as well as with bottle age. It has notes of ripe lemons and melon, while remaining dry on the finish. This wine is very fresh and is great as an apéritif or with lighter fare. The "Fiore" bottling from Montenidoli is made from the free-run juice and therefore is a more elegant style.
100% Vernaccia
Cantina della Volta Brut Rosso 2017
Origin: Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Retail: $22.95 | $20.66
The history of the Bellei family and Lambrusco goes back decades, all the way back to the 1920s. Christian Bellei is 4th generation, and he and his father “Beppe” before him were pioneers in a recent revolution in quality in this part of Emilia Romagna. Along with his father, Christian spent much time studying and mastering the great sparkling wines in Epernay, France. Thanks to the help of a few devoted friends and supporters, Christian was able to lead his family winery in a new direction, one focused on classic method wines and a new level of quality. Rich red wine characteristics meet the light effervescence of a champagne-style sparkler. Ripe strawberry and cherry, blood orange, baking spice, and tangerine pith all culminate in a lip smacking finish.
100% Lambrusco di Sorbara
Mary Taylor 'Christophe Avi' Buzet
Origin: Southwest, France
Retail: $15.95 | Sale: $14.36
Upstream from Bordeaux along the Garonne River lie the vineyards of Buzet, just north of Armagnac and southwest of Cahors. Buzet was recognized as an Appellation in 1973, as its clay limestone soils are ideal for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. He is also the winemaker at the Domaine du Bois du Simon and tends to these vines with the utmost respect for biodiversity of the terroir and this cuvée is vinified without oak. “The wine has ripe tannins and a generous texture that offers a good mix of black fruits and acidity”
80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alice Bonaccorsi “Diecidecilitri” 2019
Origin: Sicily, Italy
Retail: $33.95 | Sale: $30.56
With a physician as a father, who also happened to make wine at home, the grape was in Alice Bonaccorsi's life from the beginning. It was actually Alice who encouraged her father to make his hobby more of a serious endeavor, so in 1996 they did just that. The vineyards are rocky, with soil as dark as the night, and old, twisted vines which still manage to work productively. Alice makes wines from Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Carricante, all grown on the side of Mount Etna on her estate known as ValCerasa. The grapes are from young vines, so the emphasis is on accentuating the fruit characters of red cherry and raspberry, and some lavender, with a touch of smoke and minerality.
100% Nerello Mascalese