Winemaker Notes
Founder, Gregg Linn also owner of Ambullneo winery, considers Nonno Zito wines an intersection of his passion and dreams. Every drop proudly honors his paternal grandfather Calogero Zito, a native of Ribera, Sicily. At the turn of last century, Gregg's grandfather bravely immigrated with his wife Giovanna to this new world of America, where he confronted the unknown to create a better and larger life.
Nonno Zito's label is a silhouette of two men sitting on a bench, each holding a glass of wine. Greg explains that the two men are him and his grandfather but since his grandfather died before he was born, it is a vision of how Gregg would spend the day with his grandfather. It's a peaceful moment, in an out-of-the-way place, free from noise and people where they could enjoy a glass of wine and Gregg could ask him questions about his life and passions.
Professional Ratings
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.