2022 Avignonesi Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano

Aromas of fresh pomegranate juice, red currant, and dark cherry pits integrate with savory notes of balsamic, eucalyptus, sweet licorice, and dried violets. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied and elegant, featuring a core of ripe black cherry, plum jam, and a touch of orange zest. It displays fine, chalky tannins and a high, integrated acidity that leads to a firm, polished finish with an austere mineral tension.

The wine is crafted from estate fruit utilizing a traditional pied de cuve technique, where a small batch of early-harvested grapes is used to propagate the vineyard's native yeasts for the primary fermentation. The juice undergoes an extended 20 to 25-day maceration on the skins to build structural depth. It is then aged for 18 months in a combination of large Slavonian oak casks, barriques, and 500-liter tonneaux, followed by an additional 6 months of refinement in the bottle before release.

The fruit is grown in the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG within southeastern Tuscany, Italy. The estate vineyards are managed using certified organic and biodynamic practices, characterized by heavy, cool clay and calcareous soils. The 2022 growing season featured an intensely dry, hot summer balanced by a crucial period of rainfall in April and wide diurnal temperature swings near the harvest, which allowed the vines to achieve full phenolic ripeness while preserving the bright natural acidity typical of the region.