Region: Napa Valley, California

Varietal: 100% Gringnolino

Tasting notes: Fresh strawberries followed by a lively mix of red fruits. Soaring acidity is sculpted with delicate tannins and a nip of white pepper adds an assertive note to the finish. Lightly chilled, it is one of our favorite aperitifs, and of course, it is perfect with your favorite Italian meal.

Producer: Family owned since its founding in 1961, Heitz Cellar’s legacy runs as deep as the roots throughout the Napa Valley; a winery legend that has helped shape the history of Napa Valley winemaking. In the late 1950’s, pioneering vintner Joe Heitz ushered in Napa’s modern era with his iconic, globally celebrated wines, including Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, the renowned Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard. Fifty-eight years of the Heitz family’s dedication to viticulture, stewardship, and classic winemaking, maintained the winery’s notoriety as a benchmark amongst its peers in California and Europe.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Grignolino, a medium-bodied varietal from the Piedmont region in northern Italy and rarely found in California, has been a part of the Heitz Cellar portfolio since its founding in 1961, and has garnered a loyal following over the last six decades. Translating to ‘many pips’, Grignolino grapes have large berries, thin skin, and a light color, making a delightful medium-bodied red wine. The original Grignolino vines dating back to the 1940’s were grown on “The Only One Vineyard” surrounding Heitz’s present day Tasting Salon, and was the only grape planted on the original parcel of land that Joe Heitz purchased to found the winery. In 1966, cuttings from those vines were planted on 5 acres at a Heitz property in the hills of St. Helena, where they continue to grow today. Grignolino has been made every year since the beginning and they continue to be the only producer of a 100% Grignolino in America.