Review: Avivo Red, White, and Rose Wine, 2024 Releases
Avivo is a new winery located in Lodi, California. The region is best known for Zinfandel, but the wine makers at Avivo note that it has a climate similar to what we find in the Mediterranean and choose to cultivate grapes that are typically grown in Italy. Their vineyards are CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certified and biodynamically farmed, and the winery proudly notes that they use no additives, colors, or sugars. Let’s give them a try.
2021 Avivo Red – 95% Sangiovese, 5% Syrah. I recommend giving the wine some air before trying it or maybe even using a decanter. When it is first poured, the nose comes perilously close to Welch’s Grape Juice with a noticeable touch of alcohol. With a bit of time in the glass, however, it presents much more enjoyable notes of gentle cherry, pomegranate, and oak which follow through onto the palate. The wine has soft tannins and medium acidity that add structure and complexity, elevating the experience nicely. The wine’s gentle oak, fruit, and medium acidity suggest it would go great with pizza, but it also drinks well all by itself. B+ / $24
2022 Avivo White – 100% Vermentino. Pouring the color of pale straw in the glass, the wine is sweeter than I expected. On both the nose and palate, it presents gentle notes of lemon and peach as well as a touch of menthol. There’s medium acidity here, but it does not integrate well with the wine and comes across as a bit of a burn. The finish is fairly short and leaves behind a small, unpleasant note of saccharine sweetener. This wine may appeal to someone looking for a sweeter white wine, but I was not much of a fan. C+ / $24
2023 Avivo Rosé – 95% Sangiovese, 5% Syrah. The nose is immediately off-putting, offering notes of musty grapes and Smucker’s strawberry jelly. Happily, the palate was better, showing strawberry and Bing cherry. The wine is surprisingly sweet, particularly since the bottle notes that it includes zero sugar, and I can’t quite explain the discrepancy. There is medium acidity here, providing some structure, but this wine does not come together as well as I would have liked. B- / $24
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