92 Points, James Suckling
Aromas of crushed plums, black tea, fresh flowers and blackberries. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. Notes of coffee and black licorice on the palate mix with the black fruit and berries. Nicely balanced intensity. Drink now.
Sicily, a stunning island off the southwestern coast of Italy, boasts gorgeous beaches, rugged coastlines, and the towering Mount Etna. The cuisine is spectacular, bursting with vibrant flavors that reflect Sicily’s location between Italy and North Africa. And the perfect complement to Sicilian food? Delicious and affordable Sicilian Reds.
The value here is off the charts. Wineries like Feudo Montoni, Donnafugata, and Benanti make some outstanding white and red wines, typically priced under $30 a bottle. In today’s world, where everything is so expensive, that’s a welcome find.
But what I have for us today is a welcome find, it’s a crowd-pleasing homerun courtesy of the greatest wine consultant, Ricardo Cotarella. This one has a ‘Rosso’ name on the label because Morgante’s team wanted to have the freedom to do whatever was best each vintage with this red wine. When the estate’s Nero d’Avola doesn’t WOW them, they like to blend it with other indigenous Red varietals to make it even more round and inviting. But in a picture perfect 2020 vintage in the Mediterranean, Cotarella and company barely had to touch a thing.