2017 Grassini Articondo Bordeaux

About 2017 Grassini Articondo Bordeaux:

Grassini Articondo is named after Articondo Grassini, the first member of the Grassini family to leave Pisa, Italy and start a new life in America. Articondo loved to garden and cook alongside his wife Afiora. To honor their memory, this wine was crafted to be enjoyed with your favorite dishes in the company of loved ones.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is laced with expressive aromas of raspberry and cherry, with subtle notes of sage and cocoa. There is also a distinct floral note, reminiscent of crushed violet and rose petals, which offers the perfect balance to the red fruit. This wine opens with flavors of smoked strawberry, laced with a hint of mint. The mid-palate is smooth and silky, with nuances of chocolate and mocha. These four varietals work harmoniously together, creating a savory, supple mouthfeel, and the focused flavors and bright acid balance perfectly. This refined red blend shows well-rounded tannins, which will continue to soften over time.

Barrel Selection:

Aged in 50% New French Oak, 50% Neutral French Oak

Growing Notes:

This 2017 vintage of Articondo is a cuveé of all four red wine varietals that we grow on our Estate in Santa Ynez.

Harvest Dates: September 27 – October 11, 2017

Winemaking Notes:

Blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot

About The Winery:

Instead of joining the rest of the family at church on Sundays, Larry Grassini’s grandfather Articondo Grassini was more religious about keeping a garden. Articondo came to the United States from Pisa, Italy in the early 1900s with his wife Afiora Tinucci. He would stay home on Sundays to make that evening’s ravioli from the green bounty of his garden, while enjoying a glass of wine (or two)…. He also kept several chickens as part of his garden. As a nod to Grandpa Articondo, industrious fowl roam their vineyard while sustainably fertilizing the vines.

Larry’s father Leo Peter Grassini—when not making ravioli on Sundays—was equally passionate about keeping a garden to grow much of the family’s food. He shared his love for the soil with his children and grandchildren, and this firmly-entrenched tradition has been lovingly passed on and extended to include a vegetable garden that has been planted at the vineyard.

These earthy traditions have now been entrusted to the third and fourth generations. From day one, Larry’s wife Sharon and daughters Katie, Corey, Mandy and Molly have been there in support of this exciting and enriching undertaking. At Grassini Family Vineyards and Winery, their extended family’s passion for beauty, the commitment to hard work and a memorable place all come together to make the wine in bottles bearing their family’s label something special. It is their hope that you will enjoy the poetry of the wine and its sense of place and tradition with your friends and family. Articondo would have been proud.