Wineries Imported

G.D. VAJRA
PIEMONTE
(Certified Organic)

The estate of GD Vajra is situated in Vergne, the highest village in the Commune of Barolo. Its vineyards are planted with Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera at heights of 350-400 meters, which result in distinctive and aromatic wines. The Vajra family is a group of dedicated, passionate winegrowers, who are also grounded and sensitive to the human role in winemaking. Their philosophy remains faithful to the traditional and authentic wines of Piemonte, and in essence they regard themselves as the instruments that enable nature and the environment full self-expression through their wines.

LUIGI BAUDANA
PIEMONTE
(non-certified organically grown grapes)

“Baudana was purchased in 2008 by Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro Vajra, the children of Aldo and Milena Vajra and is run as a separate property. These 2006 Barolos were made by Baudana, although the Vajras oversaw the final assembly and bottling of the wines. One of the big changes here has been a move towards a much more stringent selection when it comes to the single-vineyard Barolos. A new Barolo, the Serralunga, was created for the lots that don’t make the cut for the single-vineyard wines and now consists of fully two-thirds of the estate’s Barolo production. It is fairly obvious that the missing key to quality here was simply instituting a more disciplined approach to barrel selection. In a sense, Baudana may have never have had the desire or the ambition to bottle the outstanding wines his vineyards were clearly capable of. From here, things can only get better, and it will be fascinating to follow this re-born winery in the coming years as renewed focus is given to farming the vineyards and working in the cellar with more diligence than was the case in the past. Certainly the young Vajras could not have had better teachers, and the new Baudana is a terrific success story.” - Antonio Galloni with The Wine Advocate

FAVARO
PIEMONTE
(Organic Certified)

"My father, Benito, as well as being the one who had the intuition 15 years ago that this adventure was worth embarking upon, still looks after the vineyards and is the real heart and soul of our operations. My brother Nicola helps him in the highly complex and fundamental work of tending the vines. I do my best in the cellar, steering our wines in what we are convinced is the right direction. Mama Rosanna, like all mothers, does a bit of everything, always with great enthusiasm. She's our jack-of-all-trades, without whom the squaring of the circle would be missing. My sister Elena, with her partner Claudio, cultivate all the vineyards planted with red grapes that are then vinified in our cellar. It may seem like a fairytale existence, but it is really just the simple story of a family who produces wine and firmly believes in what they do, following sound and healthy principles. Our vineyards are located in Piverone on a hill of glacial

origins, the true home of our vines." - Camillo Favaro

DAVIDE CARLONE
PIEMONTE
(sustainably farmed)

Tireless and tough, Davide Carlone works 365 days a year, regardless of Sundays, Christmas or Easter!  He works both in his business making commercial moulds and in the vineyard.  The firm pays his bills, while the passion for farming gives him the wine.   His grandfather was a vigneron who taught him how to grow vines and make wine in the 1980's.  His first vintage was 1989.  These years have been a hard struggle but also years of great consistency and learning about the relationship between the territory and its wine. "In my opinion, there are certain things that can be done only in one way, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.  I am deeply attached to the old techniques, to the point that I still use willow strips to tie the canopy. I think the most important task for all the producers is to promote and enhance an almost forgotten appellation, although my main concern is to see Traversagna covered in vineyards once again.  I'd love this terroir to go back 100 years, when it looked like one big vineyard and when the vines reached even Isella, a mountain whose peak is at 840 meters, or the Strusa hill.  Our ancestors used to walk up all the way from the centre of the village, carrying fertilizer for the vines."

POJER E SANDRI
TRENTINO
(sustainably farmed and practicing organic)

Pojer & Sandri is a company dates to 1975, when young Fiorentino Sandri inherited a parcel of vineyards at the alpine village of Faedo and with his winemaker friend Mario Pojer who had just received his diploma from the San Michele Agricultural Institute formed a partnership which has been very, pardon the pun, “fruitful” and is now in its fourth decade. Their goal in this untested viticultural area between the Adige river and Cembra Valley was simple, but ambitious:  to prove that with care and skill, they could, contrary to popularly-held beliefs, demonstrate the Faedo area (and environs) was capable of producing world-class wines. Their first release was an exquisitely-scented 1975 vintage Palai Müller-Thurgau, followed by the indigenous Trentino “Nosiola” white wine along with a highly-acclaimed Chardonnay.  The wines caused quite a stir in the Italian wine renaissance of the 1970s and now in 2017, the wines are having another rebirth here with us at Rinascimento Wine Co.

MONTE SANTOCCIO
VENETO
(Organic)

Monte Santoccio pride itself on the fact that the Winery owns the vineryards that produce the grapes for its wines as this help Monte Santoccio have the control over all the stages of production. The cellar stand alongside the winery which vinifies grapes from the family’s own vineyards. Everything is organized so as to obtain maximum quality. Monte Santoccio covers a total of over 3 hectares planted with vines. Located in Fumane, Monte Santoccio winery is in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico area, where grapes are grown and dried to produce outstanding wines. Nicola Ferrari, winemaker, was only 26 years old when he started working at Giuseppe Quintarelli winery, one of the most prestigious Valpolicella wine Company. He immediately recognized the importance of exercising control over the whole production process, by owning one’s own vineyards and vinifying one’s own grapes, so as to guarantee the quality of one’s wines and the credibility of one’s brand.

TAMELLINI

SOAVE

(sustainably farmed)

Gaetano and Piofrancesco Tamellini have been bottling wines from their vineyards for almost 30 years and they keep just getting better and better.  I first met them many years ago when I was working for another importer and I fell in love with them and with the wines.  Gaetano is the serious one who does the winemaking and Piofrancesco the not so serious one who manages the vineyards and I have always seen the twinkle in their eyes of joy and kindness.  Their vineyards are in the heart of historical Soave near the city of Verona in an area called Costeggiola. The soils are made of limestone and old volcanic soils that are great for the native Garganega grape. Care is taken in the vineyard and in the cellar to be as natural as possible with the wines . . . cover crops, no herbacides or pesticides, copper and sulphur to fight mildew but that is about it . . . very much in line with our philosophy of do no harm.  I am so proud to have these guys and their wine be a part of Rinascimento Wine Company and I hope that this is a "rebirth" for them in the California market.

VETTORI

VENETO

(non-certified organic)

Lower yields than are typical for the zone.  Attention to detail. Bottling only when it is called for to keep the wines fresh. 100% Glera.  Reborn in 1990 with an eye towards making the best wine instead of making more wine, this small estate excels at making wines that give you all the pleasure that you expect from Prosecco and just that little bit more.  When I tasted them at VinItaly this year, they surprised my palate and excited me.  This was something truly special.  After being out of the American market for some time, it may seem like they need another "Rinascimento" here in California.

RONCO SEVERO
FRIULIA
(Biodynamic)

Care and attention; for the vines, for the winery, for the environment, for the generations to come. This signifies putting a stop to all chemical products in the vineyards and a non-interventionalist style of winemaking that allows the free expession of the grape and the soil. All the wines are macerated on the skins for extended periods of time giving increased complexity and silky texture and body. All the wines are unfiltered and unfined in hopes of keeping all of their flavor intact at bottling. Stefano Novello produces wines that can be drunk now or that can be kept for many years to come.

TRE MONTI

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

(Certified Organic and practicing biodynamic)

"The heart of the winery lies in the center of the farm estate in Imola, where only estate-grown grapes are vinified. All of the vineyards are managed according the principles of sustainable viticulture, which mandates inter-row cover-cropping and the lowest possible use of chemicals. In addition, recent years have witnessed surprising gains as a result of considering the phases of the moon in relation to certain vineyard management practices (one of the doctrines in biodynamic agriculture), such as hedging, planting new vines, and, in some cases, the harvest itself. The winemaking operations too, watched over painstakingly by the experienced and talented Vittorio Navacchia, are animated by a philosophy of minimal intervention. Every step is carried out with full respect not only for the integrity of the fruit, but above all for the unique character of each growing year, so that Vittorio can ensure that the final wines fully expresses all of the conditions that gave it birth."

PIEMAGGIO

TOSCANA

(sustainably farmed)

The Piemaggio estate is located at Le Fioraie, a hamlet on the north-western side of the Castellina in Chianti territory, along the road to Poggibonsi, in the heart of the historical Chianti Classico. Piemaggio is the name of the farmhouse in the centre of the estate. Pievis Maior The most ancient part of the farmhouse dates back to the XI-XII century AD. The remains of an age-old 'Pieve' (church) in the heart of the property, bear witness to the agricultural vocation of the site. Religious orders in the middle ages acted as the custodians of agricultural knowledge, handing it down throughout the centuries. Michele Neri, the winemaker and team leader, has lived his whole life on the property.  The vineyards at Piemaggio extend over 12 hectares.

AGRICOLA CIRELLI
ABRUZZO
(certified organically grown grapes)

"I’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in a well off family which allow me to spent a fantastic and dispassionate childhood and to study in the most prestigious schools in EU; My grandparents and my parents spent all their entire life on bettering the social, cultural, economical status of the family, cutting all the links with their origin: the soil. Once I got the graduation in BA I decided to invest my little money on a farm in Abruzzo, the so-called “green region of Europe”. Since 2003 I am therefore trying to reestablish a link between myself and the origin of my Family because I am more then convinced of the goodness of the values within the farming. In fact there is a phrase that I love (but I don’t remember the author): “the farmer is the closest man to God”. This is not to say that I feel close to God, but I would like my children to grow up with a better understanding of the moral values of the soil. That’s all." - Francesco Cirelli

VINI PRAESIDIUM

ABRUZZO

(organically farmed)

Praesidium producers only wines from the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape and from what some people consider the ancient birthplace of this vine. They farm the vineyards organically, in the spring planting a cover crop of fava beans to add nitrogen to the soil and doing all the work by hand including a green harvest to control the size of the crop. They only use copper and sulfur as natural treatments against rot when necessary. They then hand harvest the grapes and crush them and allow spontaneous fermentation to take place. The finished wine is always bottled unfined and unfiltered with just a few rackings for clarification. The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva spends a few years in tank then goes either into older large Slavonian casks or smaller older barrels for aging for two years before spending another year before release in the bottle. They try to treat the grapes and wine with as little manipulation as possible while created a long lived wine that is like no other.

AIA DEI COLOMBI

CAMPANIA

(sustainably farmed)

It is unthinkable for Marcellino Pascale to not go and work in the vineyards every day.  Since the age of 14 he has been doing just that.  You can truly say about his wines is that they are born in the vineyard and his philosophy is based on trying his best not to ruin what nature has given him when the grapes are picked and arrive to the cantina.  They produce mostly Falanghina del Sannio, which in his words is a wine with structure, a wine of the territory, a wine to hang your hat on.  Then a little tiny bit of Fiano.  And lastly, an Aglianico that is as pure as could be.  To work in this fashion is to work, as Marcellino says, „ like my grandparents and parents did.“

AYUNTA

SICILIA - ETNA

(Organic)

"This is Ayunta, a family owned, little grape farm & winery, running 2,8 hectares of old vineyards at almost 700 meters above the sea level on the northern slopes of the Mount Etna in Sicily, close to the little village of Randazzo, about one our driving north the city of Catania. Our focus is to produce wines with the best personality of the terroir and the indigenous grapes from Mount Etna.We work manually in the vineyards, using no chemicals and  winemaking in artisan way only the best grapes. In our wines we look for elegance, balance and freshness, to report the pure taste of the terroir and all the differences of every vintages in every single vineyards. Our winemaking protocol is very easy: only grapes and only time. We release our wines only once ready." - Filippo Mangione