The sun is shining, folks! Come grab your weekend wine! This month we're featuring NEW Greek wines and some OG Italian Sangiovese. Does it get much cooler than that?! Read below for a little snippet on some of these estates!
Charalaboglou Estate
Organic Vineyards, Dry Farming, Ancient Terroir
"Memories and dreams that danced over the rocky beaches and vineyards of Nicomedia in Asia Minor traveled with the refugees. They took root at the foot of Paggaios hills, in the area where myths, truths, and traditions say that the vineyard was cultivated since antiquity when Dionysus was worshipped. Here the Charalaboglou family grafted Foulatziki with the coolness of Paggaio, with the waters of Aggitis, with the sun of Vitasta and revived the vineyards with much taste and more care.
George Charalaboglou unwrapped the thread with his grandparents' stories about wines and tsipouro and weaved the wine road in the small vineyard, just 2 acres, of Nikolas' father. With effort, patience, and perseverance since 1977 the vineyard was spread on 150 acres of organic vine cultivation on the slopes of Paggaio in Krinida, Serres, Municipality of Amphipolis. In 1999 he founded the wine bottling company and in 2003 the construction of the visitable winery inside the vineyard with a reception hall of state-of-the-art bottling machines began."
La Gerla
OG in Tuscany
"The vineyards at La Gerla lie right on the Montalcino hill at 320 m.a.s.l. right where the slope softens; a small winery which, in just a few short years, has become a great cru of this Tuscan territory surrounded by the Orcia and Ombrone Valleys.
La Gerla was born from the passion of its founder, Sergio Rossi, ... [a] man, with his mischievous and lively grin, knew how to create a little cru here in Montalcino where the most advanced technology unites with the knowledge of farmers and enologists to produce excellent products that come from the Tuscan land and become extraordinary thanks to the handiwork of man which plays a leading role at La Gerla.
The estate, which had the typical local name of Colombaio, belonged to the Biondi Santi family which achieved one of the best Brunellos of the area from there at the time. Sergio Rossi bought the land in 1976 and completely restructured it respecting its original environment.
At La Gerla, despite big developments and multiple changes, much importance is still given to man and his feelings; listening to what the land murmurs every day, respecting its rhythms and catering to its needs.
Maybe ... when [you] drink a glass of Brunello La Gerla or Birba, [you] can sense in the bouquet, in addition to the hints of fruits of the forest or rosemary, a little bit of the heart put there by those who work the land.
Sergio Rossi passed away in July 2011, but what he taught all of us will remain clearly impressed in our memory: in a special way, his great attention to the quality and to detail, which mostly make the difference in these wines, and his philosophy will continue to be a benchmark to allow us to continue to make exceptional wines."
FEATURED WINES INCLUDE:
- GONC ANNA ROSE (classic summer sipper that flies off the shelf, named after the winemaker's grandmother so think of your grandma as you sip this - cheers!)
- CHARALABOGLOU MALAGOUZIA (lively malagouzia that has layers that will keep you pensive, we call this a "porch ponderer", so beautiful)
- CHARALABOGLOU KOINIARIKO (new varietal alert! ever had Koiniariko? delicate, finessed, gorgeous, but benefits from a touch of time open)
- ACRA NEMEA (young winemaker who has it dialed in! a most balanced and gorgeous Agiorgitiko from Nemea, Greece)
- LA GERLA SANGIOVESE (brunello approved fruit made into a little sangiovese, pretty spectacular!)
- BOCCADIGABBIA ROSSO PICENO (Southern Italy! Perfect BBQ wine)
