We traveled to Kansas City this weekend to meet my 6-week old grandson, Easton Ruegg (an adorable future baseball player). While thinking of things to do on a beautiful autumn day, with the tree leaves at full color, my daughter-in-law Rebekah suggested that we try a new winery/wine tasting room in downtown Kansas City. Located at 1505 Genessee in the historic Telegram building, Amigoni Urban Winery was a pleasant surprise, as I have never been a fan of Missouri wineries…

Owner Michael Amigoni has created a popular, comfortable wine tasting room here, with a full selection of wines, consisting of 80% local Missouri and 20% Lodi, California grapes from (Stokes Family Vineyard). My first thought before going in was “oh, no – not another Missouri Winery with typical Missouri grapes – Norton, Chardonelle, etc.  But I quickly learned that Amigoni is the only Missouri winery to feature entirely “Vinis Vitifera,” meaning that they only grow and use the typical popular grape varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, etc.). Michael Amigoni has figured out how to grow these varietals in west-central Missouri. All of Amigoni’s wines are small batch, Missouri Oak barrel fermented wines.

The tasting menu would make one think they were in a California tasting room, with straight varietals (Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot), as well as a number of interesting “Urban” blends. Amigoni also said he will release both a Barbera and a Cinsault (or Cinsaut) soon. With his northern Italy roots, the Barbera should be great. The normal tasting is 5 pre-selected wines (out of 13 available) for $6 – a great bargain. I added in 5 additional tastes at $1 each (strictly for the purpose of research for this blog!).

My (brief) tasting notes:

• 2014 Sauvignon Blanc: Very crisp and dry; Nose is grapefruit, with pineapple and lemon on the palate. Very light and drinkable.
  
• 2014 Viognier: Nice violet aroma, with a balanced honey and cherry taste.
  
• 2013 Urban Rose’: Dry Cabernet Franc Rose’: A funky nose, very light taste with a nice strong Cab Franc finish.
  
• 2013 Urban Cepages (80% Grenache, 20 % Cab Sauv): Very nice wine! I bought a few bottles to age up to 5 years. A beautiful Grenache flavor in the mouth, with a nice Cab finish. Like two wines in one.
  
• 2013 Cabernet Franc: Aged 18 months in Missouri Oak. Heavy cherry notes, with light vanilla and tobacco. A good wine, but not a typical Cab Franc to me.
  
• 2012 Merlot: A big, full-bodied Merlot. Cherry and blueberry – aged 14 months. A great Merlot for a Missouri wine.
  
• 2013 Urban Vaquero (66% Tempranillo, 34% Merlot): My favorite wine here! Very soft on the palate, with a surprising spicy finish.
  
• 2013 Urban Red (83% Cab Sauv, 7% Cab Franc, 7 % Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot: A Bordeaux-style blend, but doesn’t taste like a normal Bordeaux wine. A light earth aroma with a slightly sour cherry taste. Not one I would personally care for. This one did remind me of a more typical Missouri wine for some reason.
  
• 2013 Urban Drover (50% Cab Franc, 50% Petit Verdot): Aged 18 months in French and Missouri oaks. A nice, mature nose, with dark cherry and spice. A nice wine, but lighter than I expected.
  
• 2012 Petit Verdot: Aged 24 months in Missouri oak. Full bodied and smooth. Slight grassy or celery note to it, but a nice wine. Again – not like a California Petit Verdot would be, with the rich, velvety feel.
  

In addition, Amigoni offers local beer flights, as well as an excellent Root Cellar “Row Hard” Root Beer! This reminded me of the A&W root beer I used to make when I worked there 40 years ago. They also offer a nice cheese plate and a sausage and cheese plate. Perfect for pairing with the wines.

Some really exciting news is that in mid-November, Amigon is releasing the first commercially available “Vino Ketchup!” A ketchup with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (no alcohol content). I’d love to try this!

All is all, a wonderful, pleasing experience. A definitely recommend a visit to Amigoni Urban Winery if you are in Kansas City. The place was packed today!

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Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!