B-21 Top Recommendation
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Located in Italy's first and oldest red wine appellation near the medieval town of Montepulciano, Avignonesi produces exceptional, terroir-expressive Tuscan wines ranging from thrilling, 100%-Sangiovese selections to highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from meticulously managed, sustainably farmed vineyards, all superb values priced well below the red wines of neighboring regions.
Crafted from 100% Sangiovese, the entry-level, 91-point 2020 Avignonesi Rosso offers fresh, juicy red fruit that's "vivid and delicious" according to James Suckling, with soft tannins on a smooth, balanced finish. The enticing 92-point 2019 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano offers bright fruit balanced by vibrant acidity on a silky, saline-tinged finish, while the single-vineyard, 94-point 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Poggetto di Sopra is sourced from 40-year-old Sangiovese vines and aged for 24 months in oak barrels and tonneaux, yielding elegant spiced dark fruit with silky tannins. The highlight of today's offer, however, is the 93-point 2020 Grifi, a 50-50 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak casks, which displays "excellent purity and ripeness" according to James Suckling. Further demonstrating the estate's prowerss with interational varietals, the 100%-Merlot, 93-point 2019 Desiderio offers juicy, rich fruit with silky, refined tannins from an outstanding vintage.
Eric Guido of Vinous declared "for a lesson on Montepulciano's terroir, one needs to look no further than Avignonesi," putting unequivocal reference-point status on this widely admired range of overachieving Tuscan value stars. | 
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