All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Maggiolo Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. is a taste of the joyful sunniness of our area. The name of this tasty, rounded wine is based on that of the iris (“giaggiolo”), a typical flower of the Lamole area that dots our vineyards in the month of May (“Maggio”) when it is at the height of its splendor. We can perceive it in the enchanting sensations and the gentle, soothing textures it offers us with every sip.
The grapes are destalked and the berries are passed through an optical selector. After pressing, the must ferments with the skins in stainless steel tanks, where it remains until late in winter, keeping the Sangiovese separate from the must/wine from the international varieties. Follows a period of maturation of around one-year and a half in oak casks for the Sangiovese and in barriques for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
This wine goes marvelously with dishes that contain spices or have piquant sensations, or herby recipes. It is also ideal with various types of soups, especially those made from chickpeas, wild peas or lentils and simply seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. Try it too with the meat dishes of Asian or South American cuisines.
Tenuta di Arceno Strada al Sasso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.
Strada al Sasso is our flagship Sangiovese and is sourced exclusively from the La Porta vineyard block of our Tuscan estate. This is the most intense, brooding, concentrated and complex of our DOCG wines. While this wine drinks well in its youth, it is built to evolve and improve over the next decade or more. This red wine shows aromas of dark-toned fruit, roasted coffee and violets. On the palate are dried red fruits, baking spice and tobacco. The lingering finish shows minerality, and balanced tannins. This Wine has a Cork closure. Alcohol Content: 14.5% Pair with antipasti, margherita or pepperoni pizza, spaghetti bolognese, and eggplant or chicken parmigiana.
The Strada al Sasso is 100% Sangiovese and comes from a single windswept vineyard block within our prized La Porta vineyard. This exceptional micro-cru features high-density spacing, careful matching of rootstocks and clones to the soils, and low yields. The soils are 38% sandstone, 32% limestone, 30% loam, and galestro. La Porta means “the door” or “the opening.”
The vineyard sits directly in the front of the walled town of San Gusmè, offering the most spectacular view as you drive up to town. The vines were replanted at an altitude of 420-450 meters (1400-1450 feet) above sea level between 1998 and 2001 with nine different clones of Sangiovese, including some Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) on five different rootstocks. The grapes are hand-picked and cold soaked for four days and fermented on skins for 16-20 days, depending on year and fruit ripeness, then drained directly into barrel for malolactic fermentation.
No fining or additives of any kind are used. Pierre Seillan works closely with winemaker Lawrence Cronin and his Italian team, believing his job is to respect tradition, but also enhance the future.
Review:
The sensory quality imposes a deep and rich matrix of identity in the mixed floral and fruity scents of lavender, violet, agapanthus, magnolia, orange blossom, blue plums, pressed blueberries and warm white stone. Full body, silky tannins, enveloping but not ruffling, it relaxes in a very pleasant bite that from the center of the palate onwards creates length and persistence. What a phenomenon. Impossible to resist it but better from
-WinesCritic.com 97 Points
Ruby red in color, this Amarone Riserva offers dense and smokey aromas of dark cherries, raisins, chocolate, and anise, framed by fruity tannins and a spicy finish. With the level of complexity and balance that this wine shows, it will evolve beautifully for 10+ years.
Review:
This is one of those wines where your nose is in the glass for ages, enjoying the complex array of aromas that range from raspberries to dates, perfumed bark to polished wood, pressed flowers to fresh mushrooms. Full-bodied, dense and focused with fine, well-integrated tannins, plenty of fruit flavor and an endless finish. A joy to drink even now, but this will age gracefully for many a year.
-James Suckling 98 Points
Ilaria De Nardi Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore is made from 60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 20% Corvinoni
Intense red color with garnet hints. Almond and fresh walnut aromas. Full-bodied with a good structure.
This is an excellent red wine with a supple body. The techniques used to produce this wine is typical from the area.
Excellent with cold cut, fresh and mature cheeses. Perfect with red meat and game.
Late harvest style Corvina aged on Amarone lees. The must of Amarone remains in the vat and instead of being pressed, it is topped up with high quality Valpolicella before being left to referment for about 10-15 days.
Pairs well with roasted meats.
Intense garnet color. Black cherry and raspberry aromas. The mouth is full and persistent with a good structure.
Lasting but soft, creamy, full of scent of dried fruits.
Ideal with boiled, roasted and grilled meat.
Review:
"Aromas of ripe raspberry jam, plum, menthol and baking spice lead the nose on this bold red. The dense palate delivers raisin, dried black cherry and licorice alongside assertive, close-grained tannins that grip the finish.- Kerin O'Keefe"
- Wine Enthusiast (Best of Year 2016), 90 pts
The Accordini Winery
The Accordini Winery is settled in the heart of the classic Valpolicella, Pedemonte. The estate is approximately 25 hectares in Negrar. The Accordini Winery focuses on three varietals: Corvina, Rossignola, Rondinella, Corvinoni, Garganega. The focus is the Ripassa style and Corvina grape, where Accordini dominates.
Guido Accordini, the family’s third generation winemaker, wanted to make the winery a leader in high quality wines production. Guido’s father built a new cellar for this high quality production. Here the most famous “Amarone” was made.
"A tiny Amarone producer of impeccable quality; the Le Bessole bottling has traditional spice, earth notes, and deep fruit; the Riserva is tannic; most of the wines offer elegance and food-friendly acidity."
- Anthony Dias Blue's pocket guide to wine 2006
Some wines from the Accordini Winery:
Any Accordini wines we have in stock are listed below, if you don’t see the wine you are looking for please don’t hesitate to ask for it.
Betz Family Besoleil is made from 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and the rest Cinsault,
Grenache is the star of Besoleil, but it's not the whole story. Additional southern Rhone varieties have found their way into the blend and today the wine includes Counoise, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre . Our cellar treatment has also evolved in several ways in order to promote additional nuance from these southern Rhone gems. Larger, neutral oak cooperage of 300 and 500 liters provides less surface-to-volume ratio, resulting in slower evolution and less oak influence in the final wine. Aging up to two-thirds of the blend in concrete vessels helps maintain a bright, fresh fruit character.
The story of Besoleil begins with our long-held belief that a precise marriage of soil and site can produce a profound expression of Grenache in Washington. We put that belief to the test with Besoleil's first vintage in 2003. While the Grenache in the earliest vintages of Besoleil was sourced from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, two sites in particular (Olsen Vineyards in the Yakima Valley and Upland Vineyards on Snipes Mountain) have excelled as uniquely distinctive for Grenache. These two sites are the sources for the entirety of the Grenache in Besoleil today.
Besoleil is our Spanish/French whimsy for "kissed by the sun". It alludes to the warm, sunny days in the south of France that impart an intensity of character to the Grenache grape and its southern Rhone relatives. Imagine the windswept vineyards of Chhateauneuf-du-Pape, the inspiration for this wine, where Grenache thrives alongside a dozen or more other grape varieties.
Review:
"Grenache makes up 46% of this wine, with Mourvèdre and Counoise each accounting for 24% and the balance being Syrah. With the majority of the fruit coming from Olsen Vineyard in Yakima Valley, the aromas explode from the glass, with notes of raspberry, smoked meat, huckleberry and white pepper. The palate has dense, textured, layered fruit flavors but still remains fleet of foot. There is a compelling sense of freshness and texture to it. It's a complete dazzler. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
- Wine Enthusiast (March 2020), 94 pts
Ricudda Chianti Classico Riserva 100% Sangiovese.
Deep ruby red color.
The wine shows an intense and persistent bouquet, with notes of berries and spices such as licorice and black pepper. Well-harmonized hints of oak.
In the mouth, it is well structured and balanced, complex, persistent with notes of red fruits and spices such as black pepper and licorice.
Pair with grilled red meats, steak, game of hair and feather, stewed and roasted, aged cheeses hard like pecorino.