Tre Monti Sangiovese Campo di Mezzo 2022

Romagna, Italy. Famous for Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, balsamic vinegar and Sangiovese!

Enter Sergio and Thea Navacchia into Romagna in the 1970s. And what they are entering, is, well, kinda an Italian backwater – with no large cities and much of the agriculture being industrial-oriented at the time, this was not necessarily the place most people went to find their dream. But, as their sons put it, “Some life choices are sometimes made in a non-rational way, perhaps with the conviction of being guided by emotions, by feelings, when instead, more or less unconsciously, one obeys something else. So, in the ’70s, Thea and Sergio Navacchia started this adventure.”

The adventure? Making high-quality Italian wine that honors tradition, uses modern viticutural and winemaking techniques, and also honors the land and future generations through organic, environmentally sensitive winemaking.

That statement is a bit generic, but in a friendly way – many wineries I talk to would (at least say) that they strive for the same thing. But for Sergio and Thea, and now their sons David and Vittorio and grandson Francesco, there is an extreme but important difference. First off, they mean it, and have spent 50 years walking what they’re talking. Second, they’ve spent those years in Romagna, where these kinds of ideas are still not practiced to-this-day, and 50 years ago would have been considered absurd to the point of nonsensical. So my point is this – don’t yet check the price, because this is super serious wine.

Super-serious because it’s super-darn-delicious. I was talking to one East Coast restaurateur about getting this wine in for the first time and really enjoying it. His reaction? “Well of course, it’s the best Sangiovese that you can get in a dollar span of three times its amount.” And indeed, it really is.

While I love Sangiovese from Chianti, I just can’t stop drinking this bad-boy: it's fuller fruited, with more black raspberry fruit to Chianti’s dusty cherry, and more round and cream on the midpalate to Chianti’s arenaceous tannins. Of course, being the Italian wine lover (and wine salesperson) that I am, I think you should buy both, because they are mutually exciting and delicious. But I just can’t not notice Campo Di Mezzo’s softer, more generous fruit coupled with a rounded, voluptuous body while still being classically Italian. The first bottle I opened was the first bottle gone at a recent dinner party, and it will be for you, too. No matter if you’re preparing a Big Night a la Stanley Tucci or just ordering in a pizza, this is an outstanding wine partner to have on hand at all times. Salute!