Wine & Spirits - June 2018 - 56

YEAR'S BEST SOUTHERN ITALY
with a long maceration of about 30 days
that draws out savory notes of black olive
and salted pork to balance the wine's plum
and cherry flavors. Fine, dusty tannins firm
up the structure and add a pleasant grit to
the wine's juicy fruit flavors, unencumbered
by any oak influence. It finishes fresh and
vibrant, with the flavors continuing to gain
momentum, suggesting good aging potential. § Massanois Imports, NY
228786

91 | Murgo

$25

2014 Etna Rosso Tenuta San Michele (Best
Buy) ^ This feels lithe and lively, with floral
scents and flavors of red cherry and plum.
Subtle spice warms the flavors, even as a
spray of orange zest brightens the finish. The
wine's medium weight makes it versatile for a
range of dishes. § Michael Skurnik Wines, NY;
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
228998

91 | Porta del Vento

91 | Tasca d'Almerita

$70

2014 Contea di Sclafani Tenuta Regaleali
Vigna San Francesco Cabernet Sauvignon ^
This wine comes from a 22-acre vineyard at
Tasca d'Almerita's central Sicilian Regaleali
estate, where cabernet sauvignon was first
planted in 1985. Notes of tobacco and mint
add a pleasant herbaceousness to this wine's
flavors of black currant and smoky plum. It
feels warm and weighty, with soft-leather
tannins rounded by 18 months in French
oak barriques. A streak of graphite firms up
the finish. § Leonardo LoCascio Selections/The
Winebow Group, NY
228781

91 | Tenuta d. Terre Nere

$23

2016 Etna Rosso (Best Buy) ^ Lively acidity
flows through this wine's flavors of plum,
raspberry and blood orange. A dark mineral
undertone structures the fruit flavors as they
flesh out with exposure to air; notes of fennel
and bay leaf bring freshness. § Michael Skurnik
Wines, NY
229811
$36

2016 Etna Rosso Sciare Vive ^ Carmelo
Vecchio grew up on Mt. Etna's slopes and
worked for 15 years at the Passopisciaro winery before striking out on his own. Working
56

WINE & SPIRITS

90 | Cusumano

$25

2015 Etna Rosso Alta Mora ^ Flavors of ripe
black plum mingle with black-rock minerality in this fleshy Etna Rosso. Hints of rose
petals and cedar add lift, balancing the
smoky tones that emerge on the finish. § Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL

$25

2014 Terre Siciliane Perricone (Best Buy) ^
A rare single-variety perricone, this is fragrant and exotic, with notes of burnt sage
and dried violets, smoke and charred meat.
Those savory tones accent the black cherry
and spiced plum fruit, and align with the
wine's firm, leathery tannins to suggest a
match with a well-marbled ribeye. § Terraneo
Merchants, Lincolnwood, IL
228796

91 | Vigneti Vecchio

with less than three acres of old vines inherited by his wife, Rosa La Guzza, Vecchio
released three wines in his inaugural 2016
vintage, including this nerello mascalese
cofermented with ten percent of indigenous
white varieties. The wine is lightly hazy (it's
neither fined nor filtered) and feels initially
raw before fleshing out into flavors of red
plum and raspberry cooled by a spray of
orange zest. Its ends feeling firm and smoky. §
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
229236

JUNE 2018

90 | Manenti

$26

90 | Portelli

$22

90 | Valle dell'Acate

$20

88 | Baglio di Pianetto

$15

88 | Murgo

$17

88 | Valle dell'Acate

$18

2016 Cerasuolo di Vittoria ^ This wine's mix
of red and black fruit flavors reflects its composition of equal parts frappato and nero
d'Avola. Lively and medium bodied, with
smooth tannins and a pleasant hint of amaro,
it's a wine to serve lightly chilled at a summer
barbecue. § Jan d'Amore Wines, NY
229809
2014 Cerasuolo di Vittoria (Best Buy) ^ Alessandro Portelli is the fifth generation to grow
grapes and make wine at this estate in Sicily's southeastern corner. Working with his
father, Salvatore, Portelli ferments this wine
with ambient yeasts and ages it in stainless
steel for 18 months. Although just 30 percent
frappato, the blend showcases that variety's
red fruit flavors, floral tones and pliant tannins. It feels almost raw, like fresh-pressed
juice, and benefits from decanting to bring
out the wine's vivid wild-strawberry notes. §
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
228777

$20

2016 Vittoria Il Frappato (Best Buy) ^ Floral
scents lead into a burst of fresh-strawberry
and seedy-raspberry flavors that gain flesh
with exposure to air. The wine is immediately appealing, especially with a light chill
to accentuate its fresh acidity and lifted aromas. § Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, NY
229062

2016 Sicilia Sherazade Nero d'Avola (Best
Buy) ^ This wine's deep magenta hue matches
its violet scents and crunchy black-plum flavors. Vinified entirely in stainless steel, it
feels fresh and juicy, crackling with acidity
that keeps the flavors clean and tight to the
finish. A great by-the-glass option. § Folio Fine
Wine Partners, Napa, CA
229252

2015 Sicilia Nero d'Avola (Best Buy) ^ This
wine's ripe black cherry and juicy plum flavors have a natural fruit sweetness that's balanced by a crunchy fennel-seed savor. Fresh
and floral, with a hint of salinity, it offers a
pleasant introduction to the variety. § Soilair
Selection, NY
228787

229503

90 | Donnafugata

90 | Tenuta Enza La Fauci

$45

90 | Feudo Maccari

$39

2012 Faro Oblì ^ From the hot 2012 vintage,
this is ripe and savory, with flavors of sunwarmed cherries and tomatoes. Notes of
cherry pit and toasted malt give those fruit
flavors depth, while notes of orange zest and
sage add brightness. Serve it at cellar temperature alongside a hearty plate of pappardelle
with pork ragù. § Tradizione Imports, NY
229626
2015 Sicilia Saia ^ Fruit culled from bushtrained vines growing in the volcanic soils
of Sicily's torrid southeastern corner form
the basis for this rich nero d'Avola. A year in
French oak barriques imparted subtle spice
and velvety tannins, but it's the wine's taut
acidity that drives the flavors of black raspberry and licorice. § Kobrand, Purchase, NY
228856

2016 Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese (Best
Buy) ^ Floral scents open into flavors of
tangy cranberry and seedy raspberry in this
lively nerello mascalese. Vinified entirely in
stainless steel, the wine's delicate color and
orange-zest accents make it as refreshing as a
saignée rosé, ready for a light chill and a plate
of salumi. § Michael Skurnik Wines, NY; North
Berkeley Imports, CA
228778
2013 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico (Best
Buy) ^ A hint of frappato's florality accents
this wine's licorice tones and dark plum flavors. The tannins are pliant and friendly, and
the wine finishes on a pleasant amaro note. §
Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, NY n
https://www.donnafugata.it/en/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2018
