Traditionally, January is the month for resolutions, but when I returned from Europe at the end of August this year, I had a few revelations: I was as heavy as I had ever been, I was almost 800 miles behind my yearly goal of riding 5,000 miles a year, and my wine counter was overrun with samples.

Fast forward a few months and I am down 17-18 pounds, I am almost back on track with my cycling goal (only about 140 miles behind now), and I am making a dent in the samples pile that, like my waistline, doesn’t seem to care about “good intentions”.

Along with the “traditional” 750ml bottles that have accrued over the last five months, I noticed that I still had a few sets of “tiny bottles” that I received who knows when. I am not entirely certain, but it seems like the tiny bottle concept really took off during the pandemic, but like the virus, has seemed to have subsided a bit.

The concept of the tiny bottle is a good one, I think; producers bottle their wine in much smaller bottles, usually ranging from 25ml to 100ml so that 1) a standard 750ml of wine can reach many more tasters and 2) at least in the abstract, the carbon foot print is conceivably lower.

While I rarely pour wine out (I prefer to give the open bottles to neighbors), there is no possible way I could consume all of the wine from all of the 750ml bottles that I receive.

But.

It depends on whom you ask, but the “average” pour for a glass of wine ranges from 3-5 ounces or 90-150ml (1 ounce is real close to 30ml). In other words, most of the tiny bottles I have received do not even reach what most people would classify as a “glass of wine”.

Having said that, I have been a part of countless wine tastings where the “standard” pour is around 1.5 ounces or about 50ml. So one can make an assessment about a wine with just over a splash of wine in the glass.

But.

As I have stated many times, I prefer to taste a wine over the course of an evening, or even the course of a couple of days since that is the way that the vast majority of people in the world drink wine.

Regarding the second point above, I have my doubts as to whether any of the proponents of the tiny bottle “movement” are doing so out of concerns for good old Mother Earth. I have no data to support that hunch, it just seems more logical that tiny bottles exist as a cost-cutting maneuver.

But.

Do they really save the producer that much money? That is a question to which I would love to find an answer. Until then, here is a batch of tiny bottles from Italian producer Avignonesi, six 100ml bottles. Or just slightly more than two standard shots of wine per tiny bottle.

2018 Avignonesi Da-Di, Toscana IGT, Italy: Retail $20. From 100ml. 100% Sangiovese. Quite light in the glass, almost translucent, with rich fruit, on the verge of jammy, with earthy notes and considerable spice, some smoke, even a touch of mocha. The palate is tart, even quite tart, but also concentrated, close to syrupy with menthol and red fruit. A lot bigger and richer than I anticipated, I would not have been surprised if this had been an appassimento, but it was rather vilified in amphorae, which makes sense. While this wine certainly has an audience, I am not so sure that Americans would know what to do with it. Excellent. 91 Points.

2018 Avignonesi Rosso di Montepulciano, DOC, Italy: Retail $19. From 100ml. 100% Sangiovese. Fairly light to medium and nearly translucent in the glass with a nose of rich red fruit, a touch of orange rind, and rather intense red rose petal. The palate is fairly light, however, with loads of red fruit, a zingy tartness, and just a hint of heat. The lengthy finish is fairly impressive, with all that fruit at the fore with the acidity close behind. Very Good. 89 Points.

2016 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, DOCG, Italy: Retail $19. From 100ml. 100% Sangiovese. Considerably darker than the 2018, with, consequently, more dark fruit, bits of mocha and menthol, dark earth, and hibiscus. Tart and balanced on the palate with plenty of fruit that is nicely balanced with a subtle but evident acidity. The tannins are a bit chalky but also mostly integrated. Close to a whoa. Excellent. 92 Points.

Tiny bottles are not intended for the thirsty.

2016 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Poggetto di Sopra, Italy: Retail $65. From 100ml. 100% Sangiovese. Light to medium color, well past translucent with oodles of red and blue fruit (wild cherry, plum) on the nose with a heavy dose of violet (more dried than fresh) as well as an intense herbal aspect (sage, thyme). On the backend of a wine that I could smell for days, there is some dry earth as well, just a smorgasbord of aromas here. The palate is rich, layered, and fantastic with luscious fruit, a unifying zing and considerable tannins, which are mostly soft, but have a ways to go to becoming “integrated”. Fantastic now, but should age beautifully for close to another decade. Whoa. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2017 Avignonesi Grifi, Toscana IGT, Italy: Retail $40. From 100ml. 50% Sangiovese, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium color and certainly a bit cloudy with mostly blue and black fruit on the nose, with both floral and herbal components. The palate is fruity and well-balanced, but the acidity takes more of a back seat here, particularly when compared with the 100% Sangioveses that I tasted immediately prior. The tannins peak out on the finish and suggest more cellar time could even further improve this already stellar wine. Excellent. 90 Points.

Tiny bottle vs. its big brother.

2017 Avignonesi Desiderio, Toscana IGT, Italy: Retail $60. From 100ml. 100% Merlot. Medium to light color in the glass with a decided cloudy aspect to it, blue fruits (blueberry, plum) dominate the nose, with a rose petal aspect that I am beginning to believe characterizes the Avignonesi brand. Rather tame compared to others in this flight (hello, Merlot), but the fruit is certainly intense, particularly on the finish. The acidity is on point, and the silky tannins appear to be fully integrated. Lovely. Excellent. 91 Points.