Avignonesi Poggetto di Sopra Nobile di Montepulciano 2022

Avignonesi Poggetto di Sopra 2022, the imprint of a single vineyard

In this Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the Sangiovese comes from a single vineyard site: Poggetto di Sopra. I love this detail, which gives the bottle a concrete story, that of a parcel and its soil. The 2022 vintage is aged twenty-four months in oak barrels; the wine is made from organic farming and certified vegan.

A parcel of Montepulciano, a Sangiovese with character

Avignonesi is located in Montepulciano, in Tuscany, within a group of six estates brought together in the "Noble Alliance" initiative, created to highlight the wines and terroir of the region. The Avignonesi project dates back to the 1970s. In 2009, under the direction of Virginie Saverys, the estate strengthened its commitment to biodynamic viticulture. The Poggetto di Sopra cuvée comes from a parcel planted in 1978, and carries the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG appellation.

The Sangiovese vines grow on alkaline clay rich in silt, limestone and prehistoric marine sediments. Cultivation relies on organic and homeopathic treatments; harvest and selection are carried out by hand, at optimal ripeness. In the cellar, fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, with skin maceration lasting up to twenty-eight days, before twenty-four months of aging in oak barrels. The available information does not detail the color or the precise aromas: I prefer not to attribute notes that are not documented. They do, however, describe a tension that is both delicate and intense. On the tasting references provided, the wine leans toward spice, the oak aging is marked and the body sits on the full side. It is a portrait of structure and aging, rather than a list of imagined aromas.

At the table, with robust flavors

I would serve it with a platter of cured meats, aged cheeses or red meat: these pairings are recommended for the cuvée and echo its profile shaped by the Sangiovese and the long passage in oak. Game is also a natural choice if you are preparing a more generous meal. To enjoy it, give it time to open in the glass and pair it with a dish of clear flavors, without trying to mask the wine. This bottle seems to me destined for a table where one takes the time to talk about the place it comes from: an old parcel, a singular soil and the work of Avignonesi in Montepulciano.