Highway 12 La Piazza Sangiovese 2012
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In 2003, long-time friends Paul Giusto and Michael Sebastiani joined forces to create their own wine company called Generaionons of Sonoma. Around this time, there were several family wineries that were being purchased by large corporations, so their goal was to create a wine brand that was to be considered Sonoma’s “Hometown Winery”. Putting their combined years of experience together with their long-term relationships with some of Sonoma Valley’s iconic family owned growers, the Highway 12 brand was born.
Reflective of the laid-back Sonoma lifestyle, Highway 12 Winery has stayed true to its roots with strong ties to the local community and prides itself in its non-pretentious approach about wine’s role in everyday life. At Highway 12 Winery, “Clean Jeans” are the attire for those special events where other brands prefer a suit and tie. When visiting the winery, you will find friendly, down to earth people with a lot of them being multi-generation Sonoma residents and farmers just swinging by to say hello.
The Highway 12 Winery we’re not just business partners with our growers, they’re long time Friends. Relationships that span over two decades have solidified trust and respect between Us and our grower partners resulting in the best selection of grapes from California’s most Iconic vineyards adjacent to Highway 12, California’s wine highway.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.