This very dark ruby colored Nero d’Avola from Sicily certainly over-delivers. It opens with a black cherry and leather bouquet with hints of blueberry. On the palate, this wine is full bodied with integrated medium plus tannins. The mouthfeel is nicely balanced, smooth, and silky. The flavor profile is a stone dust and blueberry blend with notes of blackberry and oak. I also detected some hints of black cherry, black pepper, and black tea. The finish is dry and its flavors and well-managed dusty tannins drift away nicely.
The 2021 Etna Rosso Animardenta Santo Spirito is wickedly fresh, opening with a whiff of savory herbs and crushed rocks that gives way to wild strawberries and rose petals. This possesses a lovely inner sweetness that’s further enhanced by ripe red berries as autumnal spices swirl atop a core of grippy tannin. The 2021 finishes long, gently tannic and beautifully balanced. A note of licorice remains on the close.
The 2022 Maharis, 100% Syrah, wafts up with a smoky bouquet of plum sauce, grilled sage and camphor. This is pure elegance on the palate, with creamy textures offset by tart red and black fruits and a guiding core of zesty acidity. Violet and lavender florals resonate as the 2022 finishes with a bitter blackberry concentration, casting hints of dark chocolate over a bed of fine tannins. While already pleasing to the senses, the 2022 is balanced for medium-term cellaring.
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