Winemaker Notes
#18 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2018
The character of this vintage will be similar across every territory of Italy: wines of 2016 will be smooth because the grapes were ripe; they will be gentle, because taste and color are coming away from the grapes effortlessly. We had no need to push and squeeze in the tank.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Compelling aromas of Mediterranean brush, dark spice, pressed flower, graphite and aromatic herb draw you in for more of this elegant red. Focused and intense, it boasts great energy, offering juicy wild cherry, rosemary, white pepper and star anise, framed in bright acidity and extremely refined tannins. It's gorgeous and already enjoyable but will offer a decade or more of exquisite drinking.
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Wine Spectator
An enticing red, graceful and mouthwatering, weaving a skein of fragrant spice and fine-grained tannins with a lovely range of brambly raspberry and currant fruit, accented by hints of dried fig, herb and rose hip. Firm and focused on the racy, minerally finish. Nerello Mascalese. Best from 2021 through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Contrada R (the "R" stands for Rampante) delivers a glossy dark ruby appearance much like the Contrada P. The wine emits straight-shooting aromas with dark berry and wild cherry framed by smoke, tar, cigar smoke and scorched earth. You get some floral tones, like red rose petal as well. This wine is balanced and powerful, yet the tannic presence is more moderate, making this wine slightly more accessible. I'd suggest a near to medium-term drinking window.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
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.