Two Young Ladies, One Wine - The Launch of BLBL

by Annie Scott (RSS feed)
Jul 5th 2010 at 8:01AM

Beatrice Landini and Blake Leonard of BLBL

BLBL is the name of the latest wine from the house of Viticcio in Tuscany, and it is named for its two young women winemakers, Italian Beatrice Landini, age 26, and American Blake Leonard, age 24 (above, left to right). Naturally, a pairing like this doesn't come out of nowhere.

These fresh-faced ladies are both the eldest daughters in the third generation of their family businesses. Ms. Leonard hails from the Stew Leonard's family (known as "The Disneyland of Dairy Stores" and famous for their funny commercials), and Ms. Landini's family are the proprietors of Tuscany's Viticcio Estate. The pair met for the first time at age 14 when the Leonard family toured the Landini family's Fattoria Viticcio vineyard in Greve. Both fathers and daughters bonded, and kept in touch.

In 2009, at the Italian VinItaly show, the Landinis and Leonards found each other again, and the two girls, now young women, decided to start a wine brand of their own. Beatrice does the blending and Blake -- who also holds a position with Gallo -- does the marketing, and now the BLBL bottles sit grandly on the Stew Leonard's shelves (at $13.99 per bottle).

The launch of BLBL was held at Felidia in New York City, hosted by Lidia Bastianich. The delicious media luncheon included attendees from several generations of both families and speeches by the fathers and family friends. The highlight of the event was when the girls got up to speak for themselves -- Blake charmed the room with the story of how they met, and Beatrice, a natural entertainer, had everyone laughing within seconds.

BLBL is a blend of varietals (40% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah), all of which come from the Landini family estate. The wine is spicy, pinot noir like in body, and very darkly fruity. It paired beautifully with a risotto appetizer and a hearty steak entree.

Though we don't often feature a bottle under $15 here on Luxist, we were bewitched by the story behind BLBL. How many young women in their 20s do you know who not only work proudly in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers, but who also have the moxie to launch their very own wine? This story of two families and two smart, well-traveled daughters makes us smile and reminds us how much we all have to offer each other, even from oceans away.

Tags: BLBL, Stew Leonards, Tuscany, Viticcio, wine