The Live Nobile project pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Tuscan winery Avignonesi. What is Live Nobile? According to Avignonesi, Live Nobile reflects their commitment to blending tradition with the modern, while always maintaining their vision to be a good ancestor. For this campaign, Avignonesi released its 2014 vintage of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. This is a 100% Sangiovese with cool-looking labels designed by Indian-born American artist Amrita Marino. She created ten new labels for this 2014 vintage, honoring “ordinary moments with a touch of elegance” and capturing the “living Nobile approach – celebrating everyday experiences with sophistication and joy.”

Live Nobile

Live Nobile is “a way of life, a celebration of the everyday, rooted in the appreciation of life’s small, meaningful moments.”  Specifically, for Avignonesi, Live Nobile is “sharing ravioli, saving seats, arriving on time, or celebrating small wins. Yet, it’s also about embracing slow living or it’s the impromptu refill; and again, it’s also the airplane mode and being the designated driver. Taking some time for ourselves and savor life. But most importantly, looking forward, it’s everything we can recognize aligned with our deepest set of values.”

To mark the occasion, the winery kindly shared two bottles of wine with us: 2014 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG and 2020 Desiderio Toscana IGT Merlot. They said the Live Nobile campaign will also extend to future vintages, aiming to explore the rich heritage of Avignonesi within a contemporary context.

Avignonesi Story

Avignonesi is in the Montepulciano region of Tuscany, home to Italy’s first DOCG red wine, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vino Nobile — the noble wine — has been one of Italy’s most esteemed wines for centuries.

In 2009, Virginie Saverys acquired the winery, which is named after the the Avignonesi family, the original founders of the estate. She also purchased additional vineyards and a state-of-the-art winemaking facility. Avignonesi started producing and crafting organic wines with the biodynamic approach of minimal intervention in the cellar. Further, Saverys and her team made Avignonesi the largest biodynamic winery in Italy, with a total of 170 hectares.

In February 2021, Avignonesi became a “benefit company” by amending its articles of incorporation and its corporate objective to include “the aims of common benefit toward the environment and nature.”

2014 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

What a remarkable and impressive wine, with elegance and sophistication. 2014 Vino Nobile comprises 100% Sangiovese. On the nose, we found aromas of red berries, sweet spices and Mediterranean herbs. On the sleek yet luscious palate, more red berries, cherries, plums, cocoa and minerality. This lovely medium-bodied wine spent 18 months in barrel, more than eight years in bottle, and now has another ten years on it. And wow, with decanting, it’s marvelous.

2020 Desiderio Toscana IGT Merlot

This 100% velvety Merlot is simply gorgeous. Aromas of cherries, plums, blackberries, black tea, chocolate, spices, olives and graphite echo the luxurious palate. We paired this amazing Merlot with a hearty beef stew, which was delicious. Desiderio is a bull that lived on Avignonesi’s Capezzine farm more than 100 years ago, the largest bull in Tuscany at that time. Avignonesi named the wine after the beloved bull “to depict Merlot from Tuscany at its best.” If you look closely at the label, you’ll see a small kangaroo with a backpack next to the bull. This pays tribute to winemaker Ashleigh Seymour, who returned to her native Australia for a new adventure.

According to Avignonesi, Desiderio embodies the winery’s storied tradition and represents a dedication to innovation. With the Live Nobile project, they noted that Desiderio stands as a testament to the winery’s heritage.

Summary: Live Nobile

In conclusion, Avignonesi created Live Nobile in honor of their 50th anniversary milestone. Certainly, we appreciate the campaign goals and these two samples of impressive wine.

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Cheers!
Margot and Dave