Description
The son of Italian immigrants, Elso’s love for wine grapes began on his family’s vineyard in Zoppola, Fruili Italy. In the early 1970s, Elso purchased 11 acres of vineyard in the Russian River Valley, where he meticulously tended the grapes. In the late 1990s, Elso traveled back to Italy, where he removed cuttings from his family’s block of Montepulciano and smuggled them back to Sonoma County in his suitcase. He grafted those cuttings on a 2-acre block of grapes that remains intact. Though Elso passed away just after the 2020 vintage was harvested, his spirit lives on in the Montepulciano grapes, which are now lovingly farmed by his two sons. Montepulciano is a rustic wine exhibiting aromas and flavors of oregano, pepper, smoky tobacco and black figs. This hearty sipper will cut through fatty meats like beef brisket or lamb shanks. Also, try it with Filipino beef adobo, mouzaka, and meat lover’s pizza. On the vegetarian side, try it with winter beets, and black bean burgers. In fromage: aged cheddar or asiago
