2005 Saggi

2005 SAGGI - 92 POINTS

"This purple-colored wine offers aromas of pain grille, spice box, earth notes, black cherry, and blueberry. Smooth-textured, layered, and ripe, this well-balanced effort has gobs of savory fruit, excellent depth and concentration, and a lengthy finish."

2005 SAGGI - 90 POINTS "Lithe and focused, with pretty raspberry and strawberry flavors shaded with hints of rose petal and white pepper. Finishes with persistence and some delicacy."

2005 SAGGI - 90 POINTS "The blend is in the Super Tuscan mold – 45% Sangiovese, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah. Smooth, chocolaty and ripe, the wine is loaded with purple fruits, the flavors elegant and refined, bringing a lovely mix of fruit, barrel, spice and leaf together seamlessly."

From the start, the Folonaris sought to make a wine true to Columbia Valley’s terroir but with plenty of Tuscan character. It was the Sangiovese from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, complemented by the structure and richness of the area’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which convinced them the growing region could produce the wine they envisioned. Other growing regions contributing to this blend include Walla Walla Valley (from older vines for added depth); Yakima Valley (for balance); and Red Mountain (for color and structure).

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.