Wild, Wild Umbria.
The barely tamed, explosively verdant, organic vineyards of Annesanti
The Umbrian Wines
of Annesanti!
Tonight, Aug. 5th.
6 - 7:30 PM, at Elmwood.
7 Wines for $10.
(Plus: Special Discounts, Today Only!)
(Wherein we investigate the wildest region in all of Italy, the landlocked wonderland of Umbria... via one of its most inspired, and inspiring winemakers!)
Look: we're paid oeno-skeptics.
Last year, when presented with the coolest-looking bottle we'd seen in some time (eventually the most popular bottle we'd sell all summer)? Naturally we figured: Nah.
Because a sexy-looking bottle can strike one like a President with a long tie; caught in an ungenerous mood, one wonders: Is there something they're compensating for here?
Imagine our surprise, then, when the wine inside the bottle turned out to be, well, electrifying. Who was this guy, Annesanti, we asked?
As it turned out? We didn't know the half of it. That arresting bottle and its mind-dilating contents were just the beginning; we'd unwittingly been introduced to one of the most audacious, committed, wildman farmer-winemakers we've encountered in recent years.
"I will only be satisfied when, opening one of my bottles,
I will be able to smell the scent of the earth at sunset in spring." -Francesco
The man named Francesco Annesanti quite literally does everything himself: Farmer. Beekeeper. Everything-Maker, from olive oils that are practically a meal unto themselves to wines so lively they can be mistaken for energy drinks.
Does he himself personally dip his wax-sealed bottles? Why yes, yes he does. Did he get his terra cotta amphorae custom-made to support the infinitesimally small quantities of wine he works with? Right you are! This is a guy who even fashioned his own desk... and only bottles during clear skies and a waning moon!
There are truly only a handful of grower-makers in all of Europe working with this level of meticulous intentionality... and the wines show it.
Annesanti Raspato: the most popular bottle of last year is back
Balanced, clear-hearted, and life-affirming, Francesco's wines are as wild as they are clean. They range from stone-cold summer delights on the one hand to straight-up vini di meditazione on the other: puzzles and profundities worthy of whole mind/body engagement. And guess what: we're pouring both sets!
To start, we're pouring two of his sparkling Raspatos; 3) his white 'Sibellino' Pecorino and 4) his skin-contact 'Ninfa;' these are freakishlly affordable, honestly made wonders — and you should grab (cases of) 'em while we've got 'em!
But then... we're getting crazy. Because we'll also be pouring three of his amphora-aged, micro-produced astonishments... despite the fact that he only makes 500 bottles total! — yes, for the entire world!
The golden trio
One wine writer wrote of Francesco's wines:
"Simply put, few wines are as joyous as these; idiosyncratic and full of character, without being the least bit rustic. The epitome of wine made as living art as opposed to a homogenized product."
Come join us tonight... and tap into the forza di vita of Annesanti!
The Umbrian Wines
of Annesanti!
Tonight, Aug. 5th.
6 - 7:30 PM, at Elmwood.
Taste 7 Wines... for $10!
(N.b.: While Supplies Last!)
(Plus: Special Discounts Today Only!)