This idea was made in heaven for Villa Ragazzi.  As noted today on Facebook by la bella ragazza (see "Oh, my Googleness" post from November 7), "Can't get any smaller than that!"  

Thanks to all who let us know how much they enjoyed our Sangiovese with the turkey.  We did too.

Lira 2, gophers 0.  
She's too young to drink, so we forgive our winery cat for refusing a sip of Sangiovese with gopher tartare.  Must think of another way to reward the mighty hunter.  
Any suggestions?

I was very happy to see 7 wines made wholly or mostly from Sangiovese in the Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines of 2011, all Italian.  That's more than Pinot Noir, Barolo, or Chardonnay (!).  Maybe we should tell the WS about Villa Ragazzi...what do you think?  

OK, I  admit I'm hitting the panic button about the holidays a bit earlier than usual.  
There's nothing quite so flat as a holiday gift that arrives on December 26 (believe me, I know).  Therefore, we're recommending, perhaps conservatively, that December 5 is likely to be the last safe date to send a gift and have it arrive in time.  This is based on expert advice that one can normally expect a ground shipment to take 7-10 business days – in other words, two weeks. During the holidays, high volumes slow normal service considerably.  
So if your excellent plan is to make someone who loves Sangiovese very happy this year, please let us know soon.    

  

In spite of the trepidation caused by a cold, wet spring followed by a relatively cool growing season-- not to mention plenty of ongoing speculation and warring studies about climate change -- it now appears that 2011 was 10% warmer than 2010, but 4% cooler than the 22-year average measured in Oakville.  Thanks to Pacific Geodata, details here Napa Valley Growing Season at a Glance

Nor is all Sangiovese named Chianti. Oh, that published wine writers would be more careful about this unfair commingling.  Or maybe it's the headline writers: a story I just read online entitled "Making a Case for Chianti" turned out to be an upfront admission that the author doesn't like Sangiovese.  The entire article was about Sangiovese as produced in Chianti, and anyone who's reading this blog knows that Sangiovese is grown in other places, too, like (ahem) here in Napa Valley.  We are the few, the brave, the dedicated -- Google Sangiovese Napa Valley and you'll see what I mean -- and our wines deserve to be appreciated in their own right, not through the lens of another terroir.    

One of the ragazzi recently informed your editor of the results from her Google search for Villa Ragazzi.  Not that we would have changed the name, you understand, had we had the foresight to check online ourselves; our Sangiovese has been labeled Villa Ragazzi since 1988.  But our recent namesake in southern France is in a very different business.  All I can say is, the "wine" in Villa Ragazzi's URL is important.  

Just as we turn back the clocks to regain the hour we surrendered last spring, winter arrives in Napa Valley.  That means rain, and very chilly, sometimes frosty, nights.  The grapevines are starting to shed their yellowing leaves in preparation for dormancy and eventual pruning.  The heirloom tomato plants, exhausted, have been pulled from the garden.  We enjoyed our first comfort-food dinner in months: Spicy sausage, white bean and escarole stew (see "Enjoy" page for the recipe).