Dear <<First Name>>,
It is a pleasure to connect with our U.S. Patrons List in the beginning of the new year to release our two flagship estate wines - Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG and ‘Asinone’ Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG from the refined 2020 vintage.
We think it is so important to pair these two wines together so you can see both the traditions of Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese) in our Nobile and how that expression can be represented with the specific idea of our single vineyard Asinone wine.
Both of these wines have tremendous intensity and approachability, meaning they can be enjoyed when they arrive at your doorstep while still benefiting from aging in your cellar for many years to come.
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The 2020 Growing Season
The 2020 vintage produced tremendously aromatic wines of great balance and elegance, but still with a complex, flavourful and important structure. The season started quite dry and warm, leading to a great bud and flowering, then the cooler summer allowed the grapes to develop slowly and methodically, combining slower phenological ripeness with bright acidity and freshness in the clusters. The rains of the late summer and early fall were intense and frequent, but this only served to bring life to the soils and further vibrancy to the fruit. Our harvest period was split due to further rains, even though it was still characterized by a warm and above-the-temperatures climate; however, this brought additional texture to the wines, as it allowed the fruit to fully mature and be picked at optimal ripeness. Overall, we are very excited about the flavor profile of this vintage and can already see the beauty and youthful flavors that can be enjoyed early in the development of the wine. One unique curiosity of 2020 was the harvesting time: Poliziano over the previous few years, in particular 2018 & 2019, started experimenting with an “anticipated harvest”, shifting the focus on the acidities and the freshness, instead of the phenolic ripeness and the tannins. With this vintage, we anticipated with even more confidence the picking time to harvest Vino Nobile and Asinone’s grapes around 5-6 days earlier than usual.
Given the warmer harvest period, we felt picking the grapes earlier was really the perfect choice to produce a great Sangiovese: more structured compared to the previous 2019, but with optimal and perfect balance between tannins and acidity and of great approachability.
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Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2020
Since this wine’s first vintage in 1968, it has stood as the greatest representation of the Poliziano estate - our calling card. This bottling best encompasses the terroir of Montepulciano, the unique characteristics of the vintage, our winemaking style and our family’s passion for our trade. It is the true combination of our Tuscan origins and the ancient bond between land, man and culture.
This wine is dominant in Prugnolo Gentile, our local name for Sangiovese, with small blends of native varieties Colorino and Canaiolo plus just a touch of Merlot. The grapes are sourced from our vineyards across the DOCG, to bring the greatest representation of the entirety of Montepulciano.
With each vintage, the grapes are selected and sorted by hand in the vineyard, with further quality checks as they arrive in the cellar via optical sorting. The fermentation serves to capture the freshness of Prugnolo, completed in conical stainless steel vats for a period of 15-20 days. The wine is then aged for 14-16 months in barrel - 2/3 in French oak barrique and tonneaux with 1/3 in vats. This wine can be enjoyed now with proper decanting and has fantastic ageability of 10-15 years beyond release.
- This vintage has yet to be released or rated
- 93 points, James Suckling (2019 vintage) - "Aromas of plums, orange peel and fresh flowers follow through to a medium body, with very crisp acidity and fine yet dusty tannins with a succulent and fresh finish. Drink or hold."
- $N/A per 750ml bottle
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‘Asinone’ Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2020
The Nobile “Asinone” represents the highest expression of our production and the most accomplished synthesis between tradition, territory, and enological innovation. It was born in the 1983 vintage, when we recognized that there was an opportunity to create a “reserve” style wine from the highest quality grapes of our estate. The grapes are sourced from vines that range back to 1963, planted in silty-clay soils with a stony topsoil - giving the grapes a powerfully layered intensity to the wine while bringing a bright fruit profile.
The best vintages of Asinone, like 2020, are 100% Prugnolo Gentile, showcasing an exemplary style of our most important, native variety. The grapes are manually harvested and separated into small crates with a secondary selection done by hand before pressing. The fermentation is completed in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats for 20-25 days, extracting full flavor and aromatics from the grapes. The wine is then aged in French oak tonneaux for 16-18 months before bottling. Asinone continues to show its longevity - with aging potential over 20 years.
- This vintage has yet to be released or rated
- 95 points, Vinous Media (2019 vintage) - "The 2019 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone is intense with a bouquet of stone dust, dried violets, black currants and cocoa powder. This is elegance exemplified, velvety and soothing, yet energetic, with a dense wave of polished red and black fruits that wash across the palate, leaving minerals and sweet tannins to mingle toward the close. A subtle layer of sour citrus helps enliven the otherwise-structured finale as minty herbal tones slowly fade. The 2019 is a total darling and has the balance to mature beautifully in collectors’ cellars."
- $N/A per 750ml bottle
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Deadline for orders is 21 February
- Orders should be packed and available ~14 weeks later
- Standard shipping included for orders totaling $N/A or more
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For our family, hospitality is our best business card. It is our goal to show the authenticity of our wines, their typicity, and their uniqueness in a memorable setting. In 2007, we opened the Angelo Ambrogini tasting room so that we could share a space with our customers and visitors, which allows us to tell the story of our vineyards and our home. We invite you at any time to join us in Montepulciano to experience our passion and story in person.
Sincerely,
Federico Carletti
Proprietor
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