Italy's Seaside Vineyards: Premier Club (September 2022)

Featured Premier Club Wines:

2020 Pala I Fiorentino | Stellato Vermentino | Sardinia, Italy

Instagram: @palawines

92 points James Suckling: "Red peach, cantaloupe and a hint of fresh vanilla on the nose. Some dry stone, too. Very aromatic. Full and silky with a good balance of dense fruit and bright acidity. Hint of syrupy texture and flavor. Long finish. Very pleasant to drink now."

Intense straw yellow color with greenish tinges, brilliant. Intense, lingering aroma with vegetable and floral fragrances of maquis and summer fruits. Pleasant nose-palate harmony, warm and full of good depth and perky acidity, balanced.

From the Winemaker: "Pair with seafood in general, shell fish and crustaceans; delicate fish also flavored with light sauces, dry and liquid soups with not excessively spicy seasonings."

The Pala family began their adventure with wine in 1950 amongst the rolling, vine-covered hills of Serdiana, an idyllic village located in southern Sardinia. With mild winters and warm, dry summers, this part of Italy's second largest island is ideal for grape growing, with the traditional varietals finding a special home here. Under the guidance of Mario Pala as of 1995, the winery continues to be family-owned. The value of tradition and the innovation of modern techniques are both incorporated into the winemaking process at Pala.

Pala owns six different vineyard areas with a total of 68 hectares currently under vine. Each vineyard is planted with varietals that are chosen according to the microclimate and soil type of the individual site. Many of these varietals are indigenous to Sardinia including Monica, and Nuragus. Pala practices organic farming in the vineyard and does not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

A deep respect for tradition, special care and devotion to the vines and finally the production of great wines, have always been the fundamental philosophy of Pala. This dedication has resulted in wines of great character and elegance that are enjoyed by wine lovers around the world.

2018 Tolaini | Valdisanti Tenuta San Giovani Toscana Rosso | Tuscany, Italy

Instagram: @tolainiwine

94 points James Suckling: "Crazy nose of blackberries and red chilies follow through to a full-bodied palate with chewy yet polished tannins that expand in the mouth, giving it a velvety texture. Extremely long and flavorful. Turns compact. Give it time to open."

From the Winemaker: "Youthful, rich dark fruit, berry and cassis aromas meld with notable French oak spice. On the palate, Valdisanti is full-bodied with deep but reserved fruit flavors framed by rich oak. The excellent balance of fruit intensity with fine tannins indicates a cellar-worthy wine."

Pierluigi Tolaini, a native of Tuscany, immigrated to Canada in 1956. He planned to work a few years, make some money, then go back home, buy a farm, marry his high school sweetheart and make some good wine… and not with his feet this time! It took Pierluigi 45 years before he returned with a clear vision of the high quality wine he wanted to make: one of Italy's best, no less.

In 1998 he returned to his native land and purchased some of the best land in the region of Chianti Classico in the noted commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga. He constructed, from the roots up, this state-of-the-art winery and brought together the best technology and winemakers to bring to light wines that would be a true expression of this significant region. Pierluigi hired famed enologist Michel Rolland and Tuscan agronomist Andrea Paoletti, who put together a team that share Pierluigi's vision - to make the best wines possible with one vitally unique ingredient - the terroir of Chianti Classico's southern most commune: Castelnuovo Berardenga .

A true marriage of tradition and modern technology. The belief in the "best fruit produces the best wine" is the fundamental principal of the Tolaini estate. High density planting per hectare and low yield per plant is a proven strategy worldwide in producing excellent quality fruit. With up to 11,500 plants per hectare in the less hilly vineyards, drip irrigation for each plant, and two green harvests to pre-select the healthiest and most promising bunches on the vine, the Tolaini property produces fruit of unsurpassable quality. This fruit is evident in every mouthful of the estate's four incredible red wines.

Ruggero Mazzilli is Tolaini's consulting agronomist and is based in Gaiole in Chianti where he is the owner and founder of SPEVIS (The Experimental Station for Sustainable Viticulture). Under Ruggero's supervision Panzano in Chianti became the first Bio-Distretto (Organic District) in the world, immediately followed by San Gimignano and Gaiole in Chianti. SPEVIS works with the best scientific research institutes to find new solutions to practical vineyard issues by following the principles of organic agriculture and respectful environmental practices. With Ruggero as part of the team, Tolaini will continue to cultivate the maximum expression of Chianti Classico terroir while farming organically and sustainably.

Like the vineyards surrounding it, the winery at Tolaini Estate is an expression of both old and new. An optical sorter guarantees that only the healthy whole grapes make it into the fermentation vats. The best grapes from each harvest are fermented in open-top fermenters made of French Allier oak (12 units of 4500 liter capacity), a time-proven touch that increases the complexity in the wines. The generous array of tank sizes allows for individual parcels of grapes to be fermented and stored separately. These batches are kept apart through subsequent barrel aging in new French oak before blending. Today Luca D'Attoma is the consulting oenologist and his hand is apparent starting with the 2015 vintage of Tolaini.

Tolaini wines are known internationally for their impeccable quality and incredible taste. With each new vintage they continue to innovate and impress.

Premier Club $64/month

Two bottles each month for $64.95. Delight in a monthly delivery of artisan wines showcasing boutique producers from California and beyond, hand-selected by the experts at Mission Wines.