Masseria Li Veli Verdeca 2009

Verdeca.  A name that conjures up thoughts of a Greek goddess or a section of Ancient Rome. Almost, it is a grape variety. It traveled to Puglia via Greece which makes sense being that Puglia seems to have most of what is left of the untouched "ancient" places in Italy. 

While fun to say, it's pleasant and fun to drink too. Full of honey and linden flower in the nose and beautiful viscosity and roundness in the mouth the verdeca makes us stop and think. We have yet to have had verdeca until yesterday and now we find ourselves pining for its velvety texture and great lime acidity. We thought it was perchance the same grape as verdicchio, but NO, it is not. With the same greenness implied as verdicchio, verdeca is a grape all its own. Seen in the DOC of Locorotondo and Martina Franca and often times blended with the even better named Bombino Bianco.  

Perfect for the transitional weather... drink it up.

Li Veli Verdeca  $20 a bottle

meet the producer

The Fratelli Falvo 
Gather around please... I'm going to tell you a tale of rather Renaissance proportions. The Fratelli Falvo above, Edoardo on the left and Alfredo on the right oversee Masseria Li Veli, but their father, Alberto and their Uncle Ettore were the founders of the highly regarded Montepulciano estate of Avignonesi. In fact, Edoardo and Alfredo were very much a part of Avignonesi too, but in 2008 the family decided to sell Avignonesi because they felt it was getting too big and they are now concentrating on the smaller more intimate Masseria Li Veli in Puglia. The Falvo's have had the Li Veli vineyards since 1999 and have been lovingly replanting the vineyards slowly to "settonce" a practice Ettore used at Avignonesi. With their passion and vision we look forward to what comes of Li Veli and the wines.