Sangiovese, 2019. Avivo

Avivo comes to us from the miraculous and dynamic team of Ridgely Evers and the Ledbetter family. Ridgley planted his vineyard of Italian varietals alongside the Ledbetters back in 1990. They became friends, not competitors, and finally partners in 2018 when they both introduced biodynamics to their organic vineyards.

Avivo loosely translates to "live" or "alive." Those terms have countless connotations, but one that resounds with us is looking at the ecosystem of a biodynamically farmed vineyard as being alive. Technically it truly is. That life is sustained by microscopic organisms which are fostered and freed to provide protection of the grapes by eliminating their provocateurs.

Biodynamic farming can almost be referred to as a religion. Some will look askance at many of the practices. For instance, you pick the grapes with an eye toward the alignment of the moon and stars. That may seem far-fetched, but we know that those alignments alter their gravitational pull on Earth. Maybe the grapes don't care, but what if they do? There are always questions about biodynamics, but all the answers are in the bottle. This bottle is a perfect example. Sangiovese is the pride of Chianti and there is little doubt that it shines bright there. But, Ridgley correctly identified the soil and climate of Lodi to be almost identical.

Those similarities are what presents us this glorious selection. The telltale scent of earth coupled with cherries and violets screams Sangiovese. The waves of ripe cherry and nutmeg form an alliance waiting for a grilled lamb leg or a mustard infused pork tenderloin.

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