Winemaker Notes
In the glass, Sciaranuova reveals balance and finesse, with polished, silky tannins and distinctive mineral notes that form the backdrop to juicy red fruit. The aftertaste is long and savory.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A bright medium red color, the 2023 Contrada S is spicy, with notes of cardamom, incense, and fresh cherries. Medium-bodied, it’s saturated with saltiness, orange peel, and a pithy texture, as well as a chalky structure reminiscent of Nebbiolo. Deep and smoky, it’s a total delight now as well. Drink 2027-2047.
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James Suckling
A restrained wine, showing smoky minerality and small red fruits with an almost sour edge and a whiff of flowers. Full-bodied, chewy and tightly knit with superfragrant character and slightly austere yet good tannins. Best after 2026.
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Vinous
The 2023 Rosso Contrada S is a gentle giant wafting up with a delicate bouquet of white smoke, ash, dried violet, lavender and blackberry. This washes across the palate with ease, silken in feel with a liquid floral concentration that coats the senses as ripe red and blue fruits swirl over a stream of vibrant acidity. An array of sweet spices combine with purple inner florals and round tannins as this tapers off, structured yet wickedly fresh. The 2023 is a total success for this challenging vintage.
Extending across the variable volcanic soils of the slopes of Mt. Etna at some of the highest vineyard altitudes in all of Europe—up to 3,300 feet—Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most noble red varieties. It makes a beautifully aromatic, firm, cellar-worthy but pale-hued red often comparable to a fine Burgundy or Barbaresco. Somm Secret—Nerello Mascalese takes its name from the black color of its grapes, nerello, and the Mascali plain between Mt. Etna and the coast where it is believed to have originated.
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.