The Avivo Sangiovese opens with notes of ripe, red apple, rhubarb jam, clove, and nutmeg. The palate is bright with flavors reminiscent of cooked pecans, fruit compote, and charcuterie for depth and balance. The finish is refreshing but tempered with a velvet mouthfeel that begs for another sip.
Vineyards
Sourced from our partners the Ledbetter Family Vineyards in Lodi, California. The Sangiovese is planted up on the bench in rocky, well-drained soils. The vineyard is farmed to Demeter-certified standards of Biodynamics.
Vintage
The 2019 vintage will be remembered as one of the best of the decade. A wet winter followed by a wet spring started the year off a little late, but we needed that water! Northern California did not suffer the usual mid-July/August heat waves, frankly, the summer was extremely mild compared to most. As the fruit slowly ripened and rain remained absent, we realized the crop was short and the growing season nearly perfect. A great vintage for winemakers and consumers alike!
Fermentation
90% of the grapes were de-stemmed only and transferred by gravity to open-top fermenters, the other 10% was left whole-cluster and added to the bottom of the tank. A long, cool 5-day cold soak was allowed before the tank was taken off cooling. The must was then fermented with indigenous yeast to promote complexity and terroir. The fermented wine was pressed off slightly before dryness to minimize harsh phenols and retain its core of fruit. Malolactic was completed with indigenous flora.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: Sangiovese
Cooperage and Aging: Aged in neutral French oak barrels for 9 months.
The art of making great wine starts with the thoughtful process of choosing what grape varieties to grow. Which is why we started by challenging conventional wisdom about what kinds of grapes really belong in California.
To our surprise — and ultimately our delight — we concluded that California’s climate is not at all like that of the regions of northern France, where the five varieties that constitute over 93% of the winegrapes grown in California originate. That struck us as a problem.
On the other hand, it is exactly like that of the Mediterranean, specifically Italy and Spain. So that’s what we chose to grow — and it’s made a huge difference.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
It was here and gone. The juice just arrived this afternoon, dinner plans were altered to pair, and now it’s been reduced to an empty boring bottle. (no offense bottle, but that’s a less than eye catching label)
I love Sangiovese in general. It’s so versatile, from pairing with cheese plates, to cheese steaks, to cheese cakes.
I’m also sensitive to sulfites and some other stuff that can end up in lower quality wines, so this all natural biodynamic approach that Avivo takes got me extra excited. It also added some skepticism, because I’ve had some pretty terrible organic, natural, and/or biodynamic wines.
Having said all that, let me give a sum up ahead of time, maybe for the ol’ quotey quote at the top of this page. I had nothing to fear from these all natural biodynamic farmers. Their good and clean ways led to a good and clean wine, bursting with fresh flavor that is perfectly refreshing for Spring and Summer.
Except for the much lower alcohol in the nose after having time to breathe, the flavors described below didn’t change much from the glass sampled right after opening, to drinking the rest 90 minutes later.
The 14.2% really does come at ya when pouring a freshly opened bottle, but I still finished the first glass without waiting, so it must not be that bad.
Pouring shows a fairly see through pale ruby. It was like pouring stained glass. Pretty to look at, and when backlit with sunshine, it sparkles with beauty.
On the nose I get a light and bright cherry and grape thing. Same with the palate, but now the cherries start to define themselves even more. I specifically tasted a mix of Rainier cherries and classic bright red cherries. No black cherry flavors here. I do get some tasty apple skin flavor towards the very end of the evolution, and it hangs out for a while, too.
This is light and JUICY. I enjoyed it on its own, and it tasted even better paired with dinner, an almost-puttanesca of ground wagyu sautéed with assorted preserved veggies like sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives over a Parmesan cream sauced pasta. Then it became the best wine pairing I’ve ever had with a NY style cheese cake. The cheesecake was crust-less and served without any fruit toppings, which allowed the Sangiovese to be the fruit pairing. Oh boy was it, with what I’ll describe as the best adults only cherry sauce this side of a Meh-rathon.
Finally, I just want to mention again how fresh and clean this wine was to me. I don’t know if the marketing got in my head, or if it’s just because this is a tad young, but this really was crisp and ready to drink.
Thanks again WCC and Casemates for inspiring a dinner to go with these complimentary crushed grapes.
BLUF: Dry, bright, enjoyable, comfortable red. We thought it would go for about $10/bottle. [EDIT: it looks like we nailed the case price].
We had dinner reservations already so we opted to make this an after dinner drink.
Pop and pour first impressions: The grape/cherry aroma makes it’s way through the Maple tree pollen that’s currently causing chaos in my nose (trees are budding in the Mid Atlantic). It’s not overpowering, just enough to let you know you’re going to enjoy the sip.
Taste - Cherry, grape, and some spice all come through with good balance. Finishes clean, almost encouraging that next sip.
After about an hour to rest, the profile didn’t change much. Still very enjoyable and comfortable.
Overall, it’s a good table wine for us. We think it would have paired well with the filet or grilled chicken topped salads we ordered at the restaurant.
How long could this cellar for? Will this be good for 10 years in a standard basement cellar (i.e. not perfect temp control but a nice cool basement in the midwest)? I’m asking for a friend:)
2019 Avivo Sangiovese
Tasting Notes
Vineyards
Vintage
Fermentation
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $240/case MSRP
About The Winery
Rethinking California Wine
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 11 - Thursday, Apr 14
2019 Avivo Sangiovese
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Bowl. Of. Cherries.
It was here and gone. The juice just arrived this afternoon, dinner plans were altered to pair, and now it’s been reduced to an empty boring bottle. (no offense bottle, but that’s a less than eye catching label)
I love Sangiovese in general. It’s so versatile, from pairing with cheese plates, to cheese steaks, to cheese cakes.
I’m also sensitive to sulfites and some other stuff that can end up in lower quality wines, so this all natural biodynamic approach that Avivo takes got me extra excited. It also added some skepticism, because I’ve had some pretty terrible organic, natural, and/or biodynamic wines.
Having said all that, let me give a sum up ahead of time, maybe for the ol’ quotey quote at the top of this page. I had nothing to fear from these all natural biodynamic farmers. Their good and clean ways led to a good and clean wine, bursting with fresh flavor that is perfectly refreshing for Spring and Summer.
Except for the much lower alcohol in the nose after having time to breathe, the flavors described below didn’t change much from the glass sampled right after opening, to drinking the rest 90 minutes later.
The 14.2% really does come at ya when pouring a freshly opened bottle, but I still finished the first glass without waiting, so it must not be that bad.
Pouring shows a fairly see through pale ruby. It was like pouring stained glass. Pretty to look at, and when backlit with sunshine, it sparkles with beauty.
On the nose I get a light and bright cherry and grape thing. Same with the palate, but now the cherries start to define themselves even more. I specifically tasted a mix of Rainier cherries and classic bright red cherries. No black cherry flavors here. I do get some tasty apple skin flavor towards the very end of the evolution, and it hangs out for a while, too.
This is light and JUICY. I enjoyed it on its own, and it tasted even better paired with dinner, an almost-puttanesca of ground wagyu sautéed with assorted preserved veggies like sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives over a Parmesan cream sauced pasta. Then it became the best wine pairing I’ve ever had with a NY style cheese cake. The cheesecake was crust-less and served without any fruit toppings, which allowed the Sangiovese to be the fruit pairing. Oh boy was it, with what I’ll describe as the best adults only cherry sauce this side of a Meh-rathon.
Finally, I just want to mention again how fresh and clean this wine was to me. I don’t know if the marketing got in my head, or if it’s just because this is a tad young, but this really was crisp and ready to drink.
Thanks again WCC and Casemates for inspiring a dinner to go with these complimentary crushed grapes.
And at that price, I’m in.
/giphy purring-appetizing-library
@DanFielding nice review.
@DanFielding great review! You got me to push the button and I appreciate that!
@DanFielding thanks for the great rattage
@DanFielding Great rattage; won me over:
/giphy calamitous-profuse-office
@DanFielding
/giphy logical-undaunted-cougar
@DanFielding You had me at “Rainier cherries”. I’m in!
This sounds like one I want to jump on.
BLUF: Dry, bright, enjoyable, comfortable red. We thought it would go for about $10/bottle. [EDIT: it looks like we nailed the case price].
We had dinner reservations already so we opted to make this an after dinner drink.
Pop and pour first impressions: The grape/cherry aroma makes it’s way through the Maple tree pollen that’s currently causing chaos in my nose (trees are budding in the Mid Atlantic). It’s not overpowering, just enough to let you know you’re going to enjoy the sip.
Taste - Cherry, grape, and some spice all come through with good balance. Finishes clean, almost encouraging that next sip.
After about an hour to rest, the profile didn’t change much. Still very enjoyable and comfortable.
Overall, it’s a good table wine for us. We think it would have paired well with the filet or grilled chicken topped salads we ordered at the restaurant.
@degroens thank you for the report
/giphy athletic-alluring-manatee
/giphy golden-honored-scrooge
Love a good Sangiovese
I’m in for a case. Sounds like a nice sipper with food at a nicer price!
How long could this cellar for? Will this be good for 10 years in a standard basement cellar (i.e. not perfect temp control but a nice cool basement in the midwest)? I’m asking for a friend:)
/giphy quality-beastly-shape
/giphy knotty-reckless-tarantula
@stolicat Nope.
/giphy daffy-delicious-camel
Where can I get more of this? We loved it.
@winer you could try to follow the winery link in the main listing. Seems to be working, and this seems to be available…
@rjquillin @winer
You could also post your request HERE but then you will be left to play both the hoping game and the waiting game.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @winer
?
@winer It is for sale now, one day only
@bdb Thanks! I bought two cases this time
Oops, I must have missed this one.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 Avivo Sangiovese - $30 = 20.00%
I’ve seen the vermentino which was also great at Grocery outlet for $5.