Wine Tasting with Tyler

Wine Tasting with Tyler

Thursday, March 21th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Tyler Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County 2022

- Tyler Rose of Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2022

- Tyler Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2022

Tasting plus food pairing: $25.00

A son of Santa Barbara, Justin Tyler Willett began Tyler in 2005 at the age of 24 with a few barrels tucked away in the corner of the Sta. Rita Hills cellar he was working in at the time. It was there, as the assistant winemaker, he honed his approach to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The development of the Mae Estate marks the next chapter for Tyler Winery. The property, located on Highway 246 in the heart of the Santa Rita Hills, was purchased by Justin and his wife Amanda in 2015. Justin quickly went to work developing the estate, planting 28 acres to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The 2019 vintage brought the first crop off of the Mae Vineyard and with those wines now in bottle Justin and Amanda are thrilled to welcome you to their former home so you may enjoy the spectacular landscape of the region and the beauty of their Estate Vineyard.

With a firm belief that winemaking starts in the vineyard and the sincere desire to have minimal impact on the environment, grapes are farmed organically, handpicked at night, and sorted by hand at the winery. In the cellar, all lots are fermented using native yeast in large oak vats, and once dry the wines are put down to barrel for their elevage. The use of new oak varies by vineyard, vine age, and vintage and is used in a way that only complements, never overshadowing the wine. After a year or so in barrel, the wines are racked, blended, and returned to the barrel for a few additional months before being bottled, typically unfined and unfiltered.

Winery: Tyler

Importer: Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants

Rep.: Michael Melgoza

Wine Tasting with Villa Mosconi Bertani

Wine Tasting with Villa Mosconi Bertani

Thursday, March 14th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Bertani Due Uve Pinot Grigio 2021

- Bertani Valpolicella Superiore 2020

- Secco Bertani 2016

Tasting plus food pairing: $18.00

Bertani’s colorful history began in 1857, after the enterprising Gaetano Bertani traveled to Burgundy and learned winemaking from Jules Guyot, the legendary French physician and agronomist who developed the Guyot system of pruning vine canes.

Bertani, who with his brother acted as both a négociant and vineyard owner, brought French techniques and a penchant for dryness to Valpolicella area wines, which were typically sweet—as in Amarone’s cousin Recioto.

Breaking from convention, Bertani began making a dry wine called Secco-Bertani, without drying grapes and blending Corvina with Tuscany's Sangiovese and small amounts of imported varieties. Today, those are Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, used in the Verona Secco-Bertani Original Vintage Edition.

Bertani’s modern age began in 1957 when it acquired the historic, 500-plus-acre Tenuta Novare, crisscrossed by a series of small Roman-era canals that channel spring water from its hillsides.

For decades thereafter, Bertani used the Novare vineyards for its new Amarone (at the time called Recioto della Valpolicella Amarone Classico Superiore), but didn’t bottle it because there was no market for a dry version with "Recioto" in the name. As a result, many of the vintages were aged 20 to 30 years in cask until the 1990s, when Amarone earned its own appellation and a boom followed.

In 2012, Italian conglomerate Angelini Group bought Bertani and made it the flagship of its wine division, which also includes Tuscan estates Val Di Suga in Montalcino, TreRose in Montepulciano and San Leonino in Chianti Classico, as well as Fazi Battaglia in Le Marche and Puiatti in Friuli.

Enter Lonardi, from a family of longtime Valpolicella growers. After studying agronomy in France, he worked, among other positions, for pan-Italy wine giant Gruppo Italiano Vini as viticultural director.

“Bertani was a great brand,” says Lonardi, walking up the hillside of Novare. “But there was a lot of dust on it.”

The last 10 years have seen a lot of renovation, from the old, once-abandoned cement fermentation tanks in Bertani’s cellars to the vineyards of Novare. There, Lonardi has focused on a pair of single-vineyard bottlings of Valpolicella, a leaner, everyday wine made primarily with Corvina and without drying the grapes.

Winery: Villa Mosconi Bertani

Importer: Regal Wine Company

Rep.: Maria Campilo

Wine Tasting with Pietraventosa

Wine Tasting with Pietraventosa

Thursday, March 7th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Pietraventosa 'EstRosa' Rosato, Puglia 2022

- Pietraventosa 'Allegoria' Giola del Colle, Puglia 2021

- Pietraventosa, Murgia 'Ossimoro' Puglia 2018

Tasting plus food pairing: $21.00

With the primary intent of creating a reality inextricably linked to their territory, Raffaele and Marianna created Agricole Pietraventosa. Both coming from working environments in sectors not strictly linked to the agricultural world, they gain their experience directly in the field. Tireless, they carry out the company by carrying out multiple business activities, from the vineyard to the cellar, as well as taking care of the administrative/accounting, sales, marketing and company promotion sectors.

Raffaele has always had the intention of following in the footsteps of his paternal grandfather, a winemaker from Brindisi at the beginning of the last century. After his graduation, he immediately worked as a designer for a company producing winemaking machinery and equipment. This allowed him to deal in depth with all the manufacturing processes used from small to large and automated companies.

In this world closely linked to traditions, but at the same time attentive to innovation, Raffaele had the opportunity to meet with many technicians from all over Italy, including Oronzo Alò, who has now become a very dear friend and company winemaker.

The attachment to their roots, the stubbornness that distinguishes them and the awareness of being able to do more to enhance the characteristics of the Primitivo bred in Gioia del Colle, where Marianna was born and lived until her wedding with Raffaele, led them to plant from 2003 to 2006 just under five hectares of vineyard and to take over another small sapling vineyard about 50 years old.

Winery: Pietraventosa

Importer: Vinum Italia

Rep.: Enrico Guglielmi

Wine tasting with Alegrini

Wine tasting with Alegrini

Thursday, February 29th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Allegrini Lugana 2022

- Allegrini Palazzo della Torre 2020

- Allegrini Valpolicella 2022

Tasting plus food pairing: $17.00

The Allegrini family has played a leading role in the history of Fumane and Valpolicella Classica since the sixteenth century and has handed down the culture of the vine and wine ever since. The corporate legacy of Giovanni Allegrini, the driving force behind the rebirth of the Valpolicella area, passed into the hands of the new generations: Marilisa, together with his niece Silvia, the daughter of Walter and Francesco, Franco’s son.

Today, all of Allegrini's wines are made from estate-grown fruit from 90 hectares (222 acres) of vineyard in the communes of Sant'Ambrogio and Fumane, where the southeast-facing slopes and chalk soils are well-suited to winegrowing.

Allegrini's reputation is largely due to the high quality of its Amarone wines, but it also makes wines outside the classic DOC appellations of the region.

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Importer: Lux Wines

Rep.: Mark Long

Wine tasting with Feudi di Guagnano

Wine tasting with Feudi di Guagnano

Thursday, February 22nd | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Feudi di Guagnano 'Diecianni' Malvasia Nera 2017

- Feudi di Guagnano 'Terramare' Negroamaro 2018

- Feudi di Guagnano ' Nero di Velluto' Negroamaro 2013

Tasting plus food pairing: $18.00

Winery: Feudi di Guagnano

Once, Guagnano had a heart made from the dominant passion of our grandparents, tenacious winemakers able to write important pages of a story entitled “Negroamaro”. Not a story like all the others: in fact, it captures the fatigue and the spirit of sacrifice of people born and raised in a strip of the south, where often the everyday tends to blend with the eternal. A story which is easy to listen to and it’s easy to still hear the screeching of the wheels on the mule tracks and the indistinct voices among the vines to act as a crest between night and day.

More than eighty years away, the same spirit of sacrifice and an identical passion still pulse with the same vigor and the same tenacity in our hearts. It is thanks to it that since 2002 Gianvito, Carlo and Franco – grandchildren of those same indefatigable winemakers – have committed themselves, after having rescued the ancient Negroamaro vineyards that had belonged to their ancestors from abandonment, to write every day a new chapter of this long story, so fascinating that they decided to name it “Feudi di Guagnano”.

Importer: wUst Fine Wine Imports

Rep.: Kevin Wenck

Wine tasting with Dezzani

Wine tasting with Dezzani

Thursday, February 15th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Dezzani Gavi 2021

- Dezzani Barbaresco 2018

- Dezzani Barolo 2016

Tasting plus food pairing: $22.00

Dezzani is a company born from the passion of a family for wine and it became a productive entity surpassing local boundaries. It was 1934 when Luigi Dezzani senior founded his historic winery, essentially focused on production and distribution of local grapes. The success that Dezzani winery experienced during the 70's and 80’s it’s due to the enthusiasm that the founder passed to his son Romolo. The heir upgraded the firm and worked in order to let Dezzani be one of those reference points of Piedmontese genuineness, and thus to be well-known all around Italy. The third generation represented by the winemaker Luigi Jr. continues the philosophy of his father Romolo spreading the brand Dezzani on international markets. It has been a choice of quality aimed at the production of prestigious wines, later on recognized by customers from all over the world. Today, the historical entity is leaded by the Rocca family (five generations in the wine business) and Villa Rivalta (thousands of hectares and hundreds of families collected in cooperative) that are developing together important, tangible synergies through a sensible supply chain management, modern technologies and long-lasting dedication.

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Importer: Vinum Italia

Rep.: Enrico Guglielmi

Wine Tasting with Ronchi di Cialla

Wine Tasting with Ronchi di Cialla

Thursday, February 8th | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Ronchi di Cialla Friulano 2022

- Ronchi di Cialla Ribollo Gialla 2021

- Ronchi di Cialla Rinera Schioppettino 2020

Tasting plus food pairing: $21.00

While Dina and Paolo Rapuzzi, who founded it in 1970, were attracted by wine growing as a way of living, their children Pierpaolo and Ivan belong to a generation that was “raised among the vines”.

Both of them have, in fact, a degree in Food Sciences and are agrarian experts; they firmly support the Ronchi di Cialla policy and immemorial wine making tradition in Friuli.

Cialla is a small valley facing from North-East to South-West, surrounded by woods with chestnut, oak and wild cherry trees, in the d.o.c. (controlled wine) Colli Orientali del Friuli area, and it is officially recognised – with a Ministerial Decree dated 30.10.95 – as cru CIALLA only for the cultivation of native vines from Friuli (white wines: Verduzzo, Picolit and Ribolla Gialla; red wines: Refosco dal Peduncolo rosso and Schioppettino) and the production of vintage wines.

Importer: Lyra Wine

Rep.: Elisabeth Frumusa

Wine Tasting with Tenuta Montemagno Relais & Wine

Wine Tasting with Tenuta Montemagno Relais & Wine

Thursday, February 1st | 5-8pm

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We feature:

- Tenuta Montemagno 'Violae' Monferrato Rosso 2021

- Tenuta Montemagno 'Nobilis' Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato 2021

- Tenuta Montemagna 'Mysterium' Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2017

Tasting plus food pairing: $21.00

Tenuta Montemagno RELAIS & WINES is in the heart of the Monferrato hills, which are UNESCO heritage, among vineyards, farmland, and historical sites. An ancient 1800 farmhouse, reported to the original splendor, today is a beautiful relais in Monferrato, a hospitable place to enjoy a unique and unforgettable experience.

Monferrato is a territory that is the custodian of old traditions, defined as “a place highly suited to vines” by ancient Napoleonic maps. We have given new life to the vineyards and crops that surround it, with the desire to produce wines that are indeed an expression of Monferrato but, through a contemporary interpretation, leave the mark of innovation brought to the vineyard and the cellar by technicians and oenologists of great experience and value.

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Importer: Cherio Holding & Trading Co.

Rep.: Andrea Cherio

Wine Tasting with Cascina Longoria 

Wine Tasting with Cascina Longoria 

Thursday, January 25th | 5-8pm

Wines: 

- Cascina Longoria Dolcetto D'Alba 2021

- Cascina Longoria Langhe Nebbiolo 2021

- Cascina Longoria Barbaresco 2018

Price: $21

Cascina Longoria, nestled in Neive within the Barbaresco region of Italy, boasts a rich history dating back to 1894 when Giovanni Toso acquired the farmhouse. Surrounded by picturesque vineyards and countryside, it sits a short drive from Alba. In 1980, Carlo expanded the family business by constructing a new cellar in the farmhouse. Today, Carlo, Alessandra, and nephew Davide, along with agronomic expert Corrado, passionately work to produce high-quality wines. They employ both traditional and modern techniques, cultivating unique varietals such as Arneis, Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Pinot Nero, Moscato, and Grignolino. The dedication of the Longoria family results in exceptional red, white, dessert, and sparkling wines.

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Importer: ONEONTHEHILL USA Imports

Rep: Michael Silton

Wine Tasting with Poderi San Lazzaro

Wine Tasting with Poderi San Lazzaro

Thursday, January 18th | 5-8pm

Wines:

- 2022 Poderi San Lazzaro 'Pistillo' Pecorino

- 2022 Poderi San Lazzaro 'Pelesio' Sangiovese

- 2019 Poderi San Lazzaro 'Podere 72' Rosso Piceno Superiore

Price: $18

The Poderi San Lazzaro winery has a rich history beginning with Lorenzo Capriotti, Paolo’s father, who acquired a farm in the hills of Offida. Located 290 meters above sea level, the property thrived for viticulture, strategically positioned 15 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea and 25 kilometers from the Apennine mountains. Lorenzo planted Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Passerina grapes in clayey soil with various exposures. In 2003, Paolo and Elisetta Capriotti took over, enhancing the estate with a modern winemaking facility in 2012. They expanded vineyards with Passerina, Pecorino, and Grenache, totaling 9.5 hectares. Embracing organic farming and winemaking, they aim to authentically capture Offida's natural qualities and unique terroir.

Importer: Vinity Wine Company

Rep: Tiziana Costamagna

Wine Tasting with Poderi Elia

Wine Tasting with Poderi Elia

Thursday, January 11th | 5-8pm

Wines:

- Poderi Elia Langhe Arneis 2019

- Poderi Elia Dolcetto D'Alba 2019

- Poderi Elia Barbera D'Asti 2018

Price: $17

Simply put, winemaker Federico Stella is a man with an inner rhythm. While respecting Piemontese varietals, he is unwavering in his quest for improvement. Stella conducted experiments with over 30 combinations of oak before settling on his cooperage formula—a considerable expense for a small estate! Consistently, he takes all of his wines right up to the edge of modernity but masterfully hovers there, never crossing the line nor stumbling. Despite the partial use of French oak (for most of his reds), Federico employs highly traditional methods—his wines, for example, are neither filtered nor clarified. With 9 hectares of vines, all managed by hand, no corners are cut. Yields remain at one bottle per plant, regardless of the price point. Undoubtedly, his great-grandfather—who founded the estate in 1890—would be enormously proud.

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Importer: Regal Imports

Rep: Maria Campilo

Wine Tasting with McGrail Vineyards

Wine Tasting with McGrail Vineyards

Thursday, January 4th | 5-8pm

Wines:

- Sauvignon Blanc 'Peyton Paige Vineyard' 2022

- Shamus Patrick Red Blend 2019

- Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon 'McGrail Vineyard' 2019

Price: $21

McGrail Vineyards & Winery, a boutique winery rooted in family and friends, is renowned for its focus on crafting exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon through small lot production. What started as Heather's parents, Jim and Ginger, planting a cabernet vineyard in 1990 for personal enjoyment evolved into a flourishing winery. Initially selling grapes to Livermore's Steven Kent Winery, they transitioned to winemaking in 2003, starting with one barrel. Guided by Livermore winemaker Rhonda Wood, their production grew rapidly, leading to the establishment of McGrail Vineyards & Winery in 2008, initially featuring their signature Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from their home vineyard. The winery offers award-winning wines and stunning views of the Livermore Valley from its tasting room.

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Rep: Brandon Ruley

Winery: McGrail Vineyards

Wine Tasting with Latium di Morini Wine

Wine Tasting with Latium di Morini Wine

Thursday, December 21st | 5-8pm

Wines:

- Latium di Morini Soave Campo le Calle

- Latium di Morini Valpolicella

- Latium di Morini Valpolicella Ripasso Campo dei Ciliegi

Price: $19

Latium Morini is an extended family producer - seven brother, sisters, uncles, aunts etc who own vineyards in the Veneto regions of Soave and Valpolicella, north of Verona in North East Italy. They used to take their grapes to the local cooperative, but around ten years ago decided to build their own winery, partly spurred on by seeing what their famous neighbors were doing. They have never looked back and get great reviews for their wines. Jancis Robinson rates their Amarone as being in the top five produced.

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Winery: Latium di Morini

Importer: Vinum Italia - Rep: Enrico Guglielmi

Wine Tasting with Masi Wine

Wine Tasting with Masi Wine

Thursday, December 14th | 5-8pm

Wines:

- Masi Valpolicella Classico Bonacosta

- Masi Rosso del Veronese Campofiorin 2019 .

- Masi Rosso del Veronese BROLO Campofiroin ORO 2016

Price: $19

With centuries of heritage in every glass, Masi has become a beacon of continuity and tradition in the Valpolicella region in northeast Italy. The Boscaini family’s enduring and innovative spirit has solidified the winery as a hallmark Amarone producer, and a steward of the region’s historic winemaking techniques.

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Winery: Masi

Importer: RNDC

Rep: Teresa Cloyd

Wine Tasting with Almadi Wine

Wine Tasting with Almadi Wine

Thursday, December 7th | 5-8pm

Wines:

- Almadi Garganega Veronese

- Almadi Corvina Veronese

- Almadi Valpolicella Ripasso

Price: $18

Almadi is a great example of the wonderful but "undiscovered" wines that are produced regionally in every wine producing area around Europe. Located in the Verona area west of Venice, they are an artisanal producer of Amarone, Valpolicella Ripasso, Corvina, and Garganega sourced from family-owned vineyards that have been farmed for over 100 years.

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Winery: Almadi

Importer: Wust Fine Wine Imports

Rep: Kevin Wenck

Wine Tasting with Villa Papiano

Wine Tasting with Villa Papiano

Thursday, November 30th | 5-8pm

Wines: 
- Villa Papiano Albana Sillaro IGT “Terra!” (Skin contact in amphora)

- Villa Papiano Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana DOC “Papesse”

- Villa Papiano Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana Riserva DOC “Probi”

Price: $21

Villa Papiano is a gorgeous, breathtaking place. Nestled amid the pristine, densely forested hills of Modigliana (Romagna) at over 1900 feet, its organically farmed vineyards are planted on ancient sandstone of marine origin, yielding savory, bright and juicy wines. Francesco Bordini embodies our ideal of vigneron: his technical expertise, intimate knowledge of each grape variety and profound respect for his surrounding environment are reflected in his Sangioveses: vertical, vibrant, precise and long-lived.

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Winery: Villa Papiano
Importer: Lucidity

Wine Tasting with Umani Ronchi

Wine Tasting with Umani Ronchi

Thursday, November 16th | 5-8pm

Wines: 
- Umani Ronchi Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore "Casal di Serra"

- Umani Ronchi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC "Podere"

- Umani Ronchi Rosso Conero DOC "San Lorenzo"

Price: $18

Umani Ronchi got its start more than 60 years ago in Cupramontana, in the heart of the Verdicchio Classico production zone, only to expand to numerous other areas along the Adriatic coast. From Le Marche to Abruzzo, they cultivate 210 hectares of vineyards organically, respecting nature, the land and the people who work it. In recognition of their excellence, Gambero Rosso has elected them as "Winery of the Year".

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Importer: Regal
Rep: Maria Campilo

Wine Tasting with Orin Swift Cellars

Wine Tasting with Orin Swift Cellars

Thursday, November 9th | 5-8pm

Wines: 
- Orin Swift - Blank Stare Sauvignon Blanc

- Orin Swift - 8 Years in the Dessert Zinfandel Blend

- Orin Swift - Abstract California Red

Price: $22

Though Dave Phinney grew up in California, it was in Italy where his obsession began. In 1995, what was originally billed as a semester studying abroad, turned into an immersion on all aspects of wine. By 1997, Dave was all in and landed his winery job at Robert Mondavi as a temporary harvest worker. He learned a lot, including that he wanted to make his own wine. The next year, with two tons of zinfandel and not much else, Orin Swift Cellars was born.

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Importer: Breakthru
Rep: Mark Long

Wine Tasting with Brigl Winery

Wine Tasting with Brigl Winery

Thursday, November 2nd | 5-8pm

Wines: 
Brigl Kalterersee Auslese Schiava 2022
Brigl St. Magdalener 2022
Brigl Lagrein 2021

Price: $18

Only few wineries can look back on seven hundred years of tradition. But the Josef Brigl Winery in Appiano can. Founded in the early fourteenth century and with four farmhouses and 50 hectares of cultivation area, it is among the largest private wineries in Alto Adige. And among the leaders.

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Importer: wUst Fine Wine Imports
Rep: Kevin Wenck

Wine Tasting with La Quercia - Abruzzo

Wine Tasting with La Quercia - Abruzzo

Thursday, October 19th | 5-8pm

Wines: 
La Quercia Montonico Superiore Santapupa
La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 
La Quercia Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva

Price: $18

La Quercia’s vineyard and estate are run by four friends – Elisabetta, Antonio, Luca, and Fabio. This small winery stretches across 12 hectares of vineyards, three hectares of olive tree groves, 400 square meters of oenological plants. Their focus is to produce quality  organic farming and low-intervention winemaking to capture a sense of place from farm to bottle.

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Importer: Regal
Rep: Maria Campilo