Top Rated Italian Magnum in Wood Box Deal plus amazing Top Rated Tuscan Reds Presale!!
 
I am excited to announce I have just secured a limited number of top rated Super Tuscan Magnums from the 2006 vintage in individual wood boxes!! These are great for gift giving and also if you just love delicious Italian wines. Very limited. See Wine Spectator rating and descrisption below. Secondly, I just tasted through all the current offerings from the Mazzei family. They have been making wines since at least the 1400's and they are connected historically to Charlottesville. Some of you are familiar with the story of how Filippo Mazzei, Ben Franklin and Thomas Adams of Virginia met in London where Filippo was convinced to come to America and introduce the cultivation of vineyards, olives, and other Mediterranean fruits along with a group of Italians. Here he became a neighbor and friend to Thomas Jefferson and together they started the first commercial vineyard in the commonwealth of Virginia in 1773. And while that original planting was not successful it certainly ties the Mazzei family to Virginia and to Charlottesville. The history of this winemaking family is as extraordinary as the wines being produced today! These are wines not to be missed! Lastly we'd be remiss if we did not offer a delicious white in this mix as well! From Bertani, try the tasty blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio! It will give any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc a run for their money! Plus we are offering extra discounts at both the 6 and 12+ bottle purchase levels!! Quantities are limited on some so please reply to this email quickly to reserve yours today.  Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you soon. PS, I hope you are also enjoying our new easily viewable format on your mobile device! Reply by email riohillwine@embarqmail.com to reserve yours now!  
 
Thank you for your business.  We look forward to serving you soon.
 
Cheers
Doug
  
 
Bertani Due Uve Pinot Grigio Sauvignon Blanc IGT 2014
Bottle $16.99 15% off mix 6 $14.44 20% off mix 12 $13.59
Due Uve Bianco combines the body and elegance of Pinot Grigio with the aromatic notes typical of Sauvignon Blanc, thus achieving a truly original creation rich in personality and character, a fusion of two of the world's most famous grape varieties.
 
Castellani Toscana Poggio al Casone La Cattura 2006 Super Tuscan Magnums 1.5 Liter in individual wood boxes! Very Limited!
Bottle $44.99 15% off mix 6 $38.24 20% off mix 12 $35.99
 
Wine Spectator 90 Points"Shows freshly sliced plum, with crushed raspberry, almost peach. Full-bodied, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, clean and crisp finish. A fascinating wine. Teroldego and Syrah. Drink now. 1,500 cases made" Drink now.
 
The Mazzei Wines
 
Mazzei Badiola Toscana 2012
Reg Bottle $16.99 Now $12.99 Save 24%
Solid Case $11.99!! Save 30%
 
This is a delicious bargain Tuscan red! Deep ruby color, bursting with rich fruit aromas and flavors offering ripe cherry, strawberry, tobacco and spice box. Rich and supple with a long super smooth finish. One taste and you will wonder why you have not been drinking more of these Tuscan reds! Drink now through 2018.70% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot.
 
Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva 2011
Bottle $31.99   15% off mix 6 $27.19   20% off mix 12 $25.59
 
90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot! This is stunning Chianti. The Mazzei family, proprietors of Castello di Fonterutoli since 1435, celebrate their notable ancestor Ser Lapo with the naming of this wine, Ser Lapo is the author of the first official document mentioning "Chianti wine" (December 16th, 1398). Its inscription in Latin is on the label.
 
Antonio Galloni 92+ Points"The 2011 Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo is dark, fleshy and expressive. A firm backbone of tannin lends support as the 2011 opens up in the glass. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, spice and floral notes emerge, but only with great reluctance. For a vintage that yielded so many open, radiant wines, the 2011 Ser Lapo is quite reticent at this stage. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2011 for at least another 2-3 years. It will be interesting to see what time brings. Drinking window: 2017-2031." Score - 92+.
 
Wine Spectator 90 Points"An exotic red, offering violet, black currant and boysenberry aromas and flavors matched to a rich, dense frame. Remains fresh and long on the finish. Best from 2016 through2022."
 
 
Mazzei Philip Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Bottle $53.99   15% off mix 6 $45.89   20% off mix 12 $43.19
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points- "Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine opens with aromas of red berries, sweet baking spice, grilled herbs and a whiff of cedar. The structured but almost weightless palate doles out ripe red currants, red raspberries, licorice, mocha and white pepper. Supple, smooth tannins weave alongside the juicy flavors. Drink through 2016-2022."
 
 
The past
The history of the Mazzei family is closely linked not just to the history of winemaking in Tuscany, but to the political and cultural history of the entire region. The first documents that name the Mazzeis - originally from the winemaking area of Carmignano - date back to the early eleventh century.

The family coat of arms, bearing three wooden hammers, tools emblematic of the cooper's trade, also dates back to this time. In the fourteenth century, the coat of arms instead displayed three iron maces that still adorn it today. Since the very beginning, the Mazzeis have been winemakers and active participants in Florentine cultural and commercial life, even holding important posts in city government.

Ser Lapo Mazzei (1350-1412), a winemaker from Carmignano, dedicated to the art of making fine wine, was a Notary of the Florence city government and Proconsul of the Art of Judges and Notaries. His brother Lionardo also cultivated vineyards in Carmignano, in the Grignano estate, where he produced wine according to the instructions of his more expert brother, Ser Lapo.

There is a voluminous and quite interesting series of correspondence between Ser Lapo Mazzei and Francesco Datini, the famous Merchant of Prato. The document is rich in juridical and commercial advice and also contains many comments referring to agronomy and oenology. Winemaking, purchasing and storage are recurrent themes in Ser Lapo'sepistles: " don't concern yourself about the cost of the wine, though it is high: its goodness is restorative." he wrote to Datini in 1394, inviting him to overcome his parsimony and appreciate its quality.

Ser Lapo Mazzei is also considered the "father" of the Chianti name: he authored the first known document using the denomination, a commercial contract bearing his signature, dated December 16, 1398.

" To be paid, on December 16 (1398), 3 florins, 26 soldi and 8 dinars, to Piero di Tino Riccio, for 6 barrels of Chianti wine....the above pay by letter of Ser Lapo Mazzei ".
(Datini Archives)

First known mention of the term "Chianti" in an official document it is the granddaughter of Ser Lapo Mazzei, Madonna Smeralda, who was married to Piero di Agnolo da Fonterutoli that the Mazzei family owes the ownership of Fonterutoli, passed down from 1435 until today, across 24 generations. Another important historical figure in the family was Filippo Mazzei (1730-1816). An eccentric and restless traveler intellectually inclined and scholarly, he was asked by his friend Thomas Jefferson, future president of the United States, to plant a vineyard at his estate in Monticello, Virginia. He undertook the journey with a group of vineyard workers and planted the first vineyards in that part of the New World.

"I thank you for your obliging act of the culture of the wine, and I am happy to hear that your plantation of them is in so prosperous a way"
(George Washington, July 1°, 1779)
Having remained in America, Filippo got involved in the new nation's political life, and his ideas regarding equality struck Jefferson, who drew from them one of the founding principles of the Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal". For this reason, Filippo Mazzei is considered an "American Patriot".

Presale Terms
*Wines ETA - Orders will be confirmed and then arrivals within a week 
Pricing - quoted per bottle 750ml or 1.5 liter 12/750ml per case 6/1.5 per case Reserve right to correct errors.
AVAILABILITY and CONFIRMATION: All orders will be confirmed prior to delivery and are subject to prior sale and availability.  
TO ORDER: Place orders now for immediate delivery as orders will be filled first come first served! Call 295-8466 or reply to this email or fax orders 434-295-2328
DEPOSIT REQUIREMENT / PAYMENT TERMS: Preorders accepted with valid CC# only. Please call us with a credit card # at 434-295-8466. You will be charged upon confirmation of order.
   Thank you for helping us spread the word that we are located in the Rio Hill Shopping Center! Please tell your friends and neighbors about us. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you soon.
We look forward to serving you soon!
Cheers!
 
Doug, Kim, John & Stan
 
Rio Hill Wine & Beer
1908 Rio Hill Center
Charlottesville VA 22901 
434-295-8466 (VINO) 
 
 Rio Hill Wine & Beer | 434-295-8466 | 434-295-2328| riohillwine@embarqmail.com | www.discountvino.com