Angelini Pinot Noir 2015
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A company steeped in Italian heritage. Owners Julius and Paul Angelini spent their childhood years in the farming village of San Lorenzo in Campo, within the Marche region of Italy. The family’s third generation, 200 acre farm features 8 specialized acres devoted to vineyards of Sangiovese, Vernaccia (Pergola Rosso) & Merlot.
In 1986, Angelini Wine, Ltd. was founded by Julius and Paul Angelini when they were joined by their longtime friend, Ron Plebiscito. The partners are known for their intimate understanding of the production of premium quality wine. Coupled with hands-on knowledge of the shifting US wine market, Angelini has carved a niche for itself among a very small pool of importer/distributors in the US with thriving vineyards in Europe. The trio makes frequent trips to Italy where they have personal relationships with each producer and visit the vineyards and tour the wine cellars. The partners search continuously for authentic, high-quality wines from around the world including Italy, Spain, France, Argentina, Germany, and California; as well as sake and plum wines from Japan. You can find Angelini Wine Selections in retail locations and restaurants in more than 14 states within the United States.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Producing every style of wine and with great success, the Veneto is one of the most multi-faceted wine regions of Italy.
Veneto's appellation called Valpolicella (meaning “valley of cellars” in Italian) is a series of north to south valleys and is the source of the region’s best red wine with the same name. Valpolicella—the wine—is juicy, spicy, tart and packed full of red cherry flavors. Corvina makes up the backbone of the blend with Rondinella, Molinara, Croatina and others playing supporting roles. Amarone, a dry red, and Recioto, a sweet wine, follow the same blending patterns but are made from grapes left to dry for a few months before pressing. The drying process results in intense, full-bodied, heady and often, quite cerebral wines.
Soave, based on the indigenous Garganega grape, is the famous white here—made ultra popular in the 1970s at a time when quantity was more important than quality. Today one can find great values on whites from Soave, making it a perfect choice as an everyday sipper! But the more recent local, increased focus on low yields and high quality winemaking in the original Soave zone, now called Soave Classico, gives the real gems of the area. A fine Soave Classico will exhibit a round palate full of flavors such as ripe pear, yellow peach, melon or orange zest and have smoky and floral aromas and a sapid, fresh, mineral-driven finish.
Much of Italy’s Pinot grigio hails from the Veneto, where the crisp and refreshing style is easy to maintain; the ultra-popular sparkling wine, Prosecco, comes from here as well.