Savor NW Wine March 2017

Savor NW wine competition in Cannon Beach, Oregon selected the 2015 Menozzi Vineyard Estate Chardonnay as "Best in Class" over nearly 40 other Chardonnays.  We are humbled and excited by this honor and have very limited quantities of this wine.  Founder's Circle Allocation members have priority access followed by our Family and Friends Allocation. 

https://aluvewine.com/club/

Wine Enthusiast Nov 2016

Walla Walla couple flying high with new Aluvé Winery

By Abra Bennett on September 16, 2016

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – This is a tale of new beginnings and helping hands. It’s a tale of relying on your instincts and trusting those of the people around you. It’s the story of JJ and Kelly Menozzi, and their recently established Aluvé Winery.

Up in the sky, whether you’re flying in a fighter plane squadron as JJ did, or jockeying a big mid-air refueling plane, as Kelly did, you need to be in absolute control, all the while working in tight-knit harmony with the rest of your team. Practicing those skills for 23 years in the Air Force served the Menozzis in good stead when it came to starting up a winery. Calm, steady, comfortable with technology and science, good at cooperation, those are traits they have honed to perfection.

In 2010, several years before they retired from the Air Force, the Menozzis bought 10 acres of land above Mill Creek and planted 6,000 vines on 5 of those acres. Those vines are now in fifth leaf, the home they are building on the property is nearly complete, and building a small winery is next in line.

Their dream is to make Old World-style estate wines, to live among their vines, tend them daily and use minimal irrigation and sustainable viticultural practices. They hope to make wines that reveal a distinctive terroir; Mill Creek is a cooler, higher-elevation region where grapes ripen more slowly than in many parts of the Walla Walla Valley. They share this locale with acclaimed Walla Walla Vintners and neighboring vineyards such as Kenny Hill (Dunham Cellars), Yellow Bird (the Chan family) and Tokar. The first Aluvé wines have been made using some of this fruit, while the Menozzis wait for their estate vineyard to reach full production.

New to vineyard work, both are aware of the huge responsibility of caring for 6,000 vines, recognizing that this year’s pruning decisions will affect next year’s crop size. Describing herself as a “reluctant shoot thinner,” Kelly pulls weeds with abandon but hesitates over cutting the vines down to size. JJ follows her down the rows and removes any shoots and leaves she’s been too tender-hearted to pull. Tough-minded though he may be, he still talks to the vines as he works, encouraging and praising them. They have just harvested and pressed this year’s estate Chardonnay, and are delighted to see how their hard work has paid off.

Read the full article.

http://www.greatnorthwestwine.com/2016/09/16/aluve-winery/

Great Northwest Wine Primo Volo: Outstanding!

Primo Volo Rating: Outstanding!

J.J. and Kelly Menozzi moved to the Walla Walla Valley after each served in the Air Force for two decades as pilots, and they have launched their new winery and vineyard they’ve planted near Mill Creek.

Their debut release is this Left Bank-inspired blend that’s heavy on Cabernet Sauvignon (79%) from two nearby vineyards – Wild Rose and Yellow Bird – and they’ve named it for the Italian phrase for “first flight.” It takes off with aromas of blackberry, plum, toasted oak, cocoa powder and minerality. On the palate, there’s a smooth approach with blackberry and black cherry flavors, leading to a rich midpalate. Its expansive finish waves in coffee and baking spices.

The Menozzis made their instructors at Walla Walla Community College proud with their inaugural release "Primo Volo" earning a gold medal and best of class honors at the fourth annual Walla Walla Valley Wine Competition. And perhaps they celebrated with their suggested pairing of Penne with Braised Short Ribs.