Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Eucalyptus, Mediterranean herb and wild berry aromas mingle with a whiff of wet stone. It's full bodied and youthfully austere but also boasts a weightless elegance, doling out black cherry, flinty mineral and bitter almond sensations before a licorice close. Thanks to the ripe fruit flavors, you'd never guess this had a hefty abv of 15%.
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Wine Spectator
Fragrant notes of ripe raspberry and exotic spice pull you into the glass of this full-throttle red. Offers amped-up berry fruit, orange peel, tea leaf and spice box flavors, along with firm, chewy tannins and mouthwatering acidity. Beautifully integrated throughout, taking the overall volume down to that of an elegant string quartet. Features a long, mineral-laced finish. Best from 2022 through 2032.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"S" is for Sciaranuova, a contrade named after its "new lava flow." The 2017 Contrada S shows some nice fruit, cherry in particular, with drying volcanic and ashen tones at the back. Smoke, tar and licorice rise like fumes from the elegant bouquet. There is a note of white pepper as well that you get in some Etna reds, especially old vines of Nerello Mascalese with a tiny bit of Nerello Cappuccio planted within. Production of this wine is 2,450 bottles.
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.