Over the years I have seen hundreds of wine labels come and go from our portfolio. When I refer to "wine labels," I'm usually referring to a wine that doesn't have a history or pedigree behind it. A wine that is sourced from vineyards within a specific area and then marketed with a cute, catchy label in hopes that it sells. Many of these wines can be quite good but rarely do they have much staying power in the market place.

When I first saw the label for Tenuta La Badiola wines, I mistakenly thought they fell into the aforermentioned category. I was wrong.

The story of Tenuta La Badiola started in the early 1800s thanks to the efforts of Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany...talk about pedigree. La Badiola is where Leopold decided to launch a major project to reclaim a marshy, secluded part of the Tuscan coast. Leopold was so struck by the beauty of this place that he decided to build one of his great villas here at Badiola. It was destined to become the summer residence of his court. The building was conveniently close to a pure underground spring named Acguagiusta.

There is much more to the story, but if we fast-forward to present times one of Italy's great entrepreneurs, Vittorio Moretti enters the history of La Badiola. He immediately began renovating the villa and surrounding grounds. In 2004 he joined forces with the best known French chef Alain Ducasse to create an enchanting resort complete with a spa and world-class restaurant on the property.

Naturally if you renovate a Duke's villa and then join forces with one of the world's greatest chefs, you have to have great wine to serve. Acquagiusta (the natural spring under the estate) is the name of the wines produced at the La Badiola Estate.

Three wines are produced at La Badiola:

Acquagiusta Rosato - 100% Alicante, this rosé shows bright pink color followed by aromas of fresh strawberry and cherry with a tangy finish.

Acquagiusta Rosso - an exotic blend of cabernet, merlot and syrah. Acquagiusta Rosso is a full-bodied red bursting with dark plums, black cherries, mint, licorice and juniper berries.

Acquagiusta Vermentino - a nicely balanced wine with melon, pears and white flowers with good richness and body.

These wines offer terrific value for wines with such pedigree.

Paul Quaglini, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor   

Follow him on Twitter @abcwinepaulq