Avignonesi Winery

This is the perfect lighter red to choose if you're looking for something Italian that's smooth and a little spicy, but not too heavy

Avignonesi's basic Rosso is a versatile, everyday wine that really sings alongside roast meats, meat pies, and strong cheeses. It's produced from hand-picked grapes grown on 300m high south-facing slopes around the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, and is aged for nine months in large oak barrels before bottling, with a further three months' bottle rest prior to release.

• 88/100 Bronze Medal - Decanter World Wine Awards
• 90/100/smart buy - Wine Spectator
• 2 red glasses/price-quality award - Gambero Rosso

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, awarded DOCG status in 1980, is made in the hills surrounding the Tuscan town of Montepulciano. It is surrounded by the large Chianti subzone of Chianti Colli Senesi.

Regulations dictate that the vineyards must sit on the hills (250m-600m) around the town and that the grape to be used (at least 60-80% of the final blend) is Prugnolo Gentile (the local name for Sangiovese Grosso, the strain of Sangiovese used in Tuscan superstar-wine Brunello). The balance is made up of a combination of Canaiolo, Mammolo, Malvasia and some international varieties.

90/100 "A light, elegant style, delivering cherry, iron, leather and earth flavors in a balanced profile. Clean and lively, with a lingering aftertaste of leather, earth and almond. Drink now through 2023."
Wine Spectator

The use of Tuscan clay rather than stainless steel brings an authentic local method to the vinification of this wine. The result is exuberant, pure cherry and red berry fruit flavours, polished and vibrant, with a gentle, spicy finish.

The name Da-Di is taken from Chinese words meaning 'earth' or 'soil', and is a reminder that this pure Sangiovese was made using twelve terracotta vessels especially produced for the winery using Tuscan clay.

Vinification in clay is an ancient technique, and gives the finished wine a lift and polish quite different from the effect achieved with oak.

‘Intense, deep red in colour, the main trait of Desiderio 2015 is the harmony between the sweet fruity notes, typical to Merlot, and the power, testament of the 2015 vintage. The bouquet is deeply endowed with black currant, myrtle, eucalyptus and black cherries. Very savoury, with hints of incense, the wine has velvety tannins and impressive persistence. Son of a warm vintage, vinified with great finesse.’

Plush and modern, Desiderio shows layers of complexity from the first glass, when gorgeous aromas of fruitcake, truffles, violets, black olive and chocolate waft from the bowl. Powerful, yet refined, it really is a wine to savour and enjoy with another wine lover or two - 'an overwhelming and sensual Merlot'.

The grapes are sourced from the estates of La Selva and La Lombarda, both located between the historic towns of Valiano and Cortona, within the Cortona DOC appellation.

The Desiderio Merlot is named after the white bull you see on the label.

This impressive animal, weighing 1,673 kg / 3,688 lbs, lived on Avignonesi's estate Le Capezzine towards the end of the 19th century. He was, in fact, the largest bull in Cortona and was used to sire the rest of the cattle from the local breed "Chianina" in the region.

The Chianina has earned its fame as the breed which gives us the delicious meat for the famous bistecca fiorentina (Florentine T-bone steak), easily recognizable due to its striking white colour.

The bull Desiderio is known and recognized as one of the forefathers of the Chianina breed, together with another bull by the name of Donetto. In fact, when you savour a bistecca fiorentina today, there is a good chance you will find some Desiderio DNA in it.

Avignonesi decided to honour this majestic animal by naming one of its most emblematic wines after it: the Desiderio Merlot, which, just like the bull, is full, impressive, and sensual.

Consistent scores of 90-94 in the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.

• Bronze Medal Decanter World Wine Awards 2015

• 91/100"Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and spice enliven this ripe, juicy red. The tannins are dense and firm, and the finish stays fresh and long. Drink now through 2021."
  BS, Wine Spectator

• • 93 pts Vinous
• • 90 pts Wine Spectator
• • 92 pts Wine Enthusiast
• • 92 pts James Suckling

Intense aromas of violets, raspberries, redcurrants and sweet cherries with underlying hints of leather and cumin. Warm and full-bodied with savoury depth and a long, spicy finish.

A magnificent, powerful wine that will repay further aging.

• • 92/100 Wine Spectator
• • 93/100 James Suckling
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  • 92/100 Vinous
• • 92/100 Wine Enthusiast

A full and splendid expression of Sangiovese and the Avignonesi terroir, this is a powerful, elegant red, suitable for further aging, but already showing complex aromas of herbs, flowers and tobacco. Concentrated flavours of rich red fruit will deepen and evolve with the years, shaped by silky tannins.

In this vintage the wine was blended from the fruit of four different and distinct vineyards: Oceano, Poggetti di Sopra, Le Badelle and El Grasso.

Avignonesi was the first Tuscan winery to release a barrel-aged white wine. Since this pioneering step in 1987, this wine, vinified in concrete, terracotta and French oak, has continued as a reference for the style in its region.

Fermentation was begun with a pied de cuve, a starter made using the natural yeasts on fruit picked a week before the main harvest.

Fans of rich, expressive Chardonnays can look forward to floral aromas and suggestions of pineapple and vanilla, with the typical creamy fullness in the mouth lifted by bright notes of elderflowers, apricot and warm citrus. The finish is clean and lively.

This magnificent and unique wine began in 1988 as the result of the friendship between the former owners of the Avignonesi estate and the Cappanelle estate in Chianti Classico.

The wine is blended with equal parts of Avignonesi's Sangiovese and Cappanelle's Merlot, giving rich, deep layers of red berry and black cherry succulence woven through with secondary notes of tobacco and sun-baked herbs. It's a prestige bottling that will age beautifully in the bottle for years to come.

This is very, very good vin santo. Its rich, lacquered intensity reveals concentrated aromas of fruitcake, cinnamon and preserved citrus, with flavours to match of lemon, toffee and fresh baking. It's a real joy and positively demands you take your time to savour it slowly.

Yes, it's very expensive—but this is a fine and a rare thing from a a prestigious winery, with a unique character given by a century-old indigenous yeast, the madre.

Its rich honey colour and generous caramel and herb aromas evolve and expand into suggestions of flowers, warm citrus and fresh baking as the wine opens up. On the palate there's a similar unfolding of wonders with flavours of dried fruit and nuts illuminated by hints of lemon here and toasty coffee there.

While this is unmistakably a sweet wine, its lusciousness is balanced by clean, sustaining acidity that keeps each sip fresh and expressive right through to the full and satisfying finish.

A 37.5ml half bottle of rich amber coloured wine with an extremely intense and persistent bouquet. Layers of dried fruit, rose petals, tea leaves, exotic spices and vanilla blend together creating a full-bodied, sweet, and thoroughly unique taste.

"The 1998 vintage is surprisingly dry on the palate, featuring good acidity to balance the sweetness for a refined, even delicate, sensory drinking experience."

The Avignonesi winemaking team's assessment