Join us in the Brooklyn wine store tonight from 5-8pm to try the new 2007 vintage of Palazzetto Ardi’s Entusiasmo Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon along with some sopressata from Provisions.

Those of you who had the pleasure of meeting Carlo last year at the store know he is the real deal – a winemaker with integrity, skill and pride. His wines are unfiltered and he farms organically, which means you’ll find flora (and Flora, his six-year old daughter) in between the vines. He offers this advice on food pairing with his wines: “Frequently one thinks that food-wine accompaniments must be rather high-sounding and extremely refined. In order to bring out the best of the extraordinary simplicity but authenticity of our red wines, the simplest of dishes are ideal. None better than a plate of soft homemade country-style salami.”

2007 was an extraordinary summer in the Gambellara, the region near Venice where Carlo farms. Hot days matured sugar and tannins and at night a nice breeze blew down from the mountains to cool everything off and preserve aromas and flavors in the grapes. Carlo has managed to capture that perfect summer in a bottle for you to enjoy. Rich ruby in the glass, the 2007 Entusiasmo Rosso di Palazzetto Ardi is a medium-bodied, supple cabernet sauvignon that erupts with red and black currants on the palate perfectly in balance with graphite minerality from the chalky basalt hills of the eastern part of Vicenza. Definitely an old-world style cabernet. Ben from the Manhattan store describes it lovingly as “Bordeaux’s Italian country cousin.”

We have 22 cases in each store out of a total production of 120 and we’re a little worried they won’t last until Carlo’s visit in February (he’s been invited to give a talk on organic winemaking at the Yale Club). When these bottles are gone, they’re gone and you’ll only be able to remember, and not experience, the beautiful summer of 2007.