Fall 2022 Offer #1 of 18: Ca’ La Bionda

Bottom Line Up Front - The more Italian wine professionals I talk to, the more I understand how fortunate we are to work with Ca’ La Bionda. This Valpolicella specialist is now on everyone’s shortlist of the top producers in Italy. The three Ca’ La Bionda reds we’re offering today are incredible wines for the price.

Ca' La Bionda - 2021 Valpolicella Classico - Hands down, the most refreshing bottle of complex red wine made in Italy. Both pretty and vibrant.

Ca' La Bionda - 2019 “CasalVegri” Valpolicella Classico Superiore - Organic production, single-vineyard, great vintage. A finesse wine with vigor.

Ca' La Bionda - 2010 “CasalVegri” Valpolicella Classico Superiore - Beautifully aged Valpolicella, drinking in its prime – showing a kaleidoscope of layered flavors.

(To order, just click any one of the links above and follow the prompts, or scroll to the end of this message for step-by-step instructions.)

-------tearline-------

Fellow wine geeks,

To the many of you who recently signed up – welcome to the Open Tuesday community! Please don’t hesitate to reply to this email if you have any questions about the ordering process. 

On to today’s wines...

When we offered the 2019 “CasalVegri” Valpolicella Classico Superiore earlier this year, I noted that I hardly ever drink Amarone della Valpolicella, one of Italy’s most famous wines. The main reason is the existence of wines like these lesser-known Valpolicella bottlings. They are a much better value than Amarone and just as enjoyable, if not more so. 

Don’t get me wrong, Amarone can be profound and long-lived, and I love tasting aged examples. I have more than a few Amarone bottles in my cellar (mostly Ca’ La Bionda). But 99 nights out of 100, I want something more like these three wines – something lively and energetic to go with my meal.

The same 2019 CasalVegri was probably the most overwhelmingly popular wine from the spring private beta offers. Members astutely described the wine as “like a really good pinot noir, but with a different set of flavors.”

Early this summer, I returned to Ca’ La Bionda and (much to my surprise) some bottles of 2019 were still available for today’s offer. Quantities are limited though, so please get your orders in early!

We have access to quite a bit more of the 2021 Valpolicella Classico. It was the 2018 version of this wine that got me hooked on Ca’ La Bionda. This 2021, in a similar style, is even better. 

As for the 2010 CasalVegri, I was simply floored when I tasted it in the cellar. The wine was so complete, and so elegant. All I could think about was how much I wanted to insert this wine, blind of course (label covered), into a red burgundy tasting lineup – somewhere, somehow. I didn’t even think to ask if the wine could be made available for an Open Tuesday offer. Aged wines like this one are usually not available in appreciable quantities. 

But as I drove back to Milan, with the wine’s flavors still hanging on my tongue, I convinced myself it couldn’t hurt to ask. The worst thing Filippo could do was say no. (Or laugh out loud after hanging up?) 

So I called Ca’ La Bionda the next day and I begged. I’m not the least bit ashamed. That’s how good this wine is.

Valpolicella reds are made from native grapes Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara. For all three of these wines, the blend is 70% Corvina, 20% Corvinone, and 10% Rondinella and/or Molinara.

These photos can give you an idea of the territory and surroundings at Ca’ La Bionda: https://www.calabionda.it/en/home/gallery/. Here’s Ca’ La Bionda on a map of northern Italy: Agricola Ca' la Bionda

Ca' La Bionda - 2021 Valpolicella Classico - 12.5% alcohol by volume (ABV)

This is an incredible wine for the money, and it perfectly exemplifies the Ca’ La Bionda production style. You get a burst of crisp red fruit (sweet strawberry, with a dash of cranberry) flavor in a sleek, almost delicate, lighter-bodied form. 

Food pairing: While the Valpolicella Classico is light and refreshing enough to drink as an aperitivo, it also has the grip and structure for difficult-to-pair dishes like an Amatriciana. Here’s a recipe video from our friends at Rimessa Roscioli: https://youtu.be/TAkCIb8x0GE. According to the winery, this Valpolicella Classico is “a wine to drink every day, in good company, with a wide variety of Italian style foods, from pasta to roast meats.”

Ca' La Bionda - 2019 “CasalVegri” Valpolicella Classico Superiore 13.5% ABV

The same bottle we offered in the spring, this is a sneaky great red of harmony and elegance. It’s medium-bodied, showing less overt fruit than the base-level Valpolicella Classico, yet more flavor depth and length. Like the Valpolicella Classico, this wine disappears way too quickly at the dinner table.

Food pairing: In the spring beta offer, I recommended drinking this 2019 CasalVegri with polenta and some game meats and/or mushrooms. The Ca’ La Bionda team writes that CasalVegri “is an ideal accompaniment to roast meats and pan fried steak.” Open Tuesday founding members Ken and Tracy had it with pan-seared pork chops and said the pairing was “en fuego.” 

Ca’ La Bionda - 2010 “CasalVegri” Valpolicella Classico Superiore - 13.5% ABV

This beautifully aged 2010 CasalVegri is medium-bodied, with a silky quality to the body and flavor profile. It glides over the palate, revealing waves of persistent dark cherry fruit, balanced by savory volcanic notes. I couldn’t be happier to have access to a small parcel of this very special rare wine.

Food pairing: Some good Italian bread (or a baguette) and maybe some olive oil. The 2019 CasalVegri pairing suggestions would also work just fine.

(To order, just click the link above and follow the prompts.)

Happy Tuesday,

Chris

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us: [email protected].  

How it works: 

After clicking one of the two links above, you’ll be able to request 1-12 bottles. Actually, that’s all you have to do!

About a week later, when we close the offer, you’ll get an email confirming how many bottles we allocated to your account. We will charge you when the wines are allocated.

We’ll do our best to allocate all the bottles you request. But when there are more requests than bottles available, we’ll allocate one bottle to all requesting members before allocating a second bottle to anyone. We want as many members as possible to try these wines.

This is the first of 18 offers during the fall season. We are sending offers on Tuesday and Saturday through the first week of November.

We ship in increments of 12. With 18 offers this season, there should be plenty of chances to get to 12, 24, or 36. If you don’t have an increment of 12 at the end of the fall season offers, we can hold your wines until the next offer season – spring 2023.

Wines offered in the fall will ship in late November-early December for $5 per bottle (if you have an increment of 12.) This is about the same as the price to ship coast-to-coast within the U.S. – but our wines come directly from Italy.

Once your payment method is on file, you can make future requests with just a few clicks from the offer email. If you don’t have a card on file, you can add one during your first order. Your personal financial information is protected by Stripe.

Chris MacLean

Rob Genova

Open Tuesday Wines S.r.l.s.

Via Augusto Anfossi 19, 20135 Milano - Italy