2004 Saggi
Among Tuscany's oldest and most prestigious wine families, Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari teamed with Allen Shoup to produce a wine that showcases Washington state's terroir with plenty of Italian character. Saggi (meaning "wisdom") is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah.
Layers of black fruit aromas and flavors are woven around a spicy vanilla core. Velvety and concentrated on the palate, this is a lively, well-balanced wine with a rich and lengthy black cherry finish.
92 POINTS - WINE ACCESS
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2004 |
| Varietal | Sangiovese Red Blend |
| Varietal Composition | 35% Sangiovese
35% Cabernet Sauvignon
16% Syrah
14% Barbera |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley |
| Acid | 0.54g/100ml |
| PH | 3.84 |
| Aging | Drink now through 2016 |
| Alcohol | 14.50% |
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Volume | 750 ml |
2004 SAGGI - 91 POINTS
"Dark ruby / purple in color, it has an excellent nose of earth, leather, cassis and black cherry. This is followed by a smoothly textured wine with excellent depth, soft tannins, and spicy dark fruit flavors." |
2004 SAGGI - 91 POINTS
"Highly complex nose combines plum, chocolate, dried flowers and tobacco. Suave, silk and sweet, but with lovely energy to the flavors of plum, cranberry and tobacco." |
2004 SAGGI - 90 POINTS
"This blend is done along super Tuscan lines, about one-third Sangiovese, one-third Cabernet Sauvignon, and the other third Syrah. Smooth, chocolaty and dark, the winemaking impeccable." |
From the start, the Folonaris sought to make a wine true to Columbia Valley terroir but with plenty of Tuscan character; and it was the dark, elegant Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon that perfectly complemented it from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills that convinced them they could make such a wine. Only the Syrah (a combination of Yakima and Wahluke Slope vineyards) in Saggi is not from Alder Ridge.
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:
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Nozzole Estate (Chianti Classico, Super Tuscan, Chardonnay)
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Cabreo Estate (Super Tuscans)
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TorCalvano di Gracciano Svetoni Estate (Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montepulciano)
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La Fuga, Montalcino Estate (Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino)
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Conti Spalletti Estate (Chianti Rufina, Chianti, Rosso Toscano)
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Campo al Mare Estate (Bolgheri DOC, Vermentino IGT)
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Vigne a Porrona Estate (Montecucco, Morellino, Maremma)
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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.
