2006 Saggi - 1.5L

Giovanni Folonari is a frequent visitor to the Columbia Valley. His familiarity with the vineyards allows the Folonaris to craft a wine that combines Columbia Valley terroir with Tuscan style. With the desire to showcase the delicate, yet generous flavors of Sangiovese in this wine, the winemakers relied on fruit from Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon from the Yakima Valley contributes to the wine’s balance; Cabernet from the Horse Heaven Hills adds structure and a hint of earthiness; Yakima Valley Syrah contributes spice and depth.

Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari are among Italy’s oldest and most prestigious Tuscan wine families with a winemaking history dating back to the late 1700s.
 
Today, Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute, conceived by this father-son team as a collection of small, beautifully located vineyards producing primarily Tuscan “grand crus,” is recognized for its distinctive, small-production wines from the family’s numerous estates. The vineyards are managed using modern viticulture techniques including dense planting and careful clonal selection and research. Both Ambrogio and Giovanni, a University of California at Davis enology graduate, are directly involved in winemaking and are dedicated to high quality wines that reflect the vineyard’s terroir.
 
Prior to launching A. & G. Folonari Tenute, Ambrogio was the president of Ruffino, originally purchased in 1912 by Ambrogio’s grandfather. While at the helm of Ruffino, Ambrogio was an outspoken advocate for Italian wine quality and took Ruffino in a new and original direction. In the late 1960s, the company began focusing on high-quality wines and in 1971 purchased Nozzole, a famous estate located near Greve in the heart of Chianti Classico. In the 1980s, Ambrogio created Cabreo, a unique combination of tradition and innovation including Cabreo Il Borgo (red), a blend of traditional Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, while La Pietra is Chardonnay from Tuscany, fermented and aged in oak. These wines were among the first in a new group of top wines now widely known as “Super Tuscans.”
 
In 2000, Ambrogio and Giovanni left Ruffino to focus on small-lot, estate-grown wines, committing to reinvesting, developing and expanding vineyard holdings in the interest of producing high-quality wines. Their portfolio, distributed in the U.S. by Kobrand, includes:

• Nozzole Estate (Chianti Classico, Super Tuscan, Chardonnay)
• Cabreo Estate (Super Tuscans)
• TorCalvano di Gracciano Svetoni Estate (Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano)
• La Fuga, Montalcino Estate (Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino)
• Conti Spalletti Estate (Chianti Rufina, Chianti, Rosso Toscano)
• Campo al Mare Estate (Bolgheri DOC, Vermentino IGT)
• Vigne a Porrona Estate (Montecucco, Morellino, Maremma)
• Ronco dei Folo Estate (Colli Orientali del Friuli, Pinot Grigio, Tocai, Sauvignon).

Giovanni and his wife Eleonora live with their three children at the Cabreo Estate in Greve, 30 minutes from Florence.