Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2022

We love wines that trade heavy-handed cellar tricks for a real sense of place and transparent, vibrant fruit. That brings us straight to Avignonesi.

Ever since Virginie Saverys took the reins in 2009 and steered this historic estate fully into organic and biodynamic viticulture, the wines have undergone a beautiful evolution. They’ve shed the dense, over-extracted style of the past, focusing instead on freshness, lift, and pure terroir.

The 2022 vintage is 100% Prugnolo Gentile—the local clone of Sangiovese that gives Montepulciano its distinctively noble character. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged thoughtfully in large Slavonian oak casks and barriques, the wood here serves as a gentle frame rather than a dominant flavor. The resulting wine is crisp and lively, backed by high, perfectly integrated acidity and fine, chalky tannins that give it excellent structure without feeling rustic or harsh.

This is, first and foremost, a food wine. Give it a brief decant to let those aromatic layers stretch their legs, and pair it with anything from a rich mushroom risotto to roasted meats or a simple plate of aged Pecorino Toscano.