Winemaker Notes
Red ruby in color with a bouquet of mature fruit and notes of spice. Deep and well structured on the palate.
Blend: 100% Nero d’Avola
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Aromas of black licorice, crushed plum and ground spice. Medium-to full-bodied with powdery yet firm tannins. Fresher and crunchier than past vintages. The red and black fruit on the palate is nicely articulated by steady acidity and some mineral notes. Best after 2025.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The certified organic 2020 Sicilia Saia is all Nero d'Avola from one of the prettiest parts of rural Sicily in Noto. This red wine shows medium concentration with dark fruit, ripe cherry, black olive and sweet earthy tones. It is richly textured and ends with soft, sweet tannins. This is a great food wine with an ample 60,000 bottles on the market. It sees 20 days of skin contact during fermentation and is aged in a combination of tonneaux and second or third-year barrique.
-
Wine Spectator
This medium- to full-bodied red is well-knit and balanced, with a light tang of balsamico acidity enlivening concentrated flavors of blackberry, roasted plum, violet, espresso and smoke. Reveals trim, sculpted tannins, which provide fine definition and firm the lightly chalky finish...Drink now through 2034.
Boldly opulent and robust, Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most widely planted red grape. Nero d’Avola performs well both as a single varietal bottling and in blends. It loves hot, arid climates and Sicily's old vines are aptly head-trained close to the ground, making them resistant to strong winds. A few pioneering producers in California as well as Australia farm Nero d’Avola in the same way. Somm Secret—Nero d’Avola's other name, Calabrese, suggests origins from the mainland region of Calabria.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.