Feudo Montoni’s Nero d’Avola Lagnusa and Vrucara: A Definitive Tasting of Two Great Italian Reds
BY IAN D'AGATA |
Feudo Montoni is one of Italy’s best but still relatively little known estates. In fact, despite boasting a lineup of great wines and having been around for some time, Feudo Montoni (the winery is housed in a villa that dates back to 1469) does not enjoy the fame and visibility of Sicily’s many larger wineries. I have no doubt that this will all change soon enough, because there are few estates anywhere in Italy making more compelling wines today.
The vineyards at Feudo Montoni
Owner Fabio Sireci isn’t just passionate and knowledgeable, he is also extremely talented. That skill is attested to by a rare degree of proficiency with a number of different Sicilian native varieties. Feudo Montoni’s Grillo, Insolia and Cataratto wines are also amongst the best examples of their respective grape varieties. However, it is with Nero d’Avola that Sireci attains his greatest results. Sireci’s two Nero d’Avolas, Lagnusa and Vrucara, rank alongside Italy’s best reds. Each wine has a unique personality: the former is a fresher, earlier-maturing wine, while the latter is a more ageworthy, tactile and deeper Sicilian red. But as good as the Nero d’Avola Lagnusa is, it is the Vrucara that is one of Italy’s most noteworthy red wines.
The Estate
I have always been awestruck by the purity and true-to-type aromas and flavors that owner Fabio Sireci is able to tease out of Nero d’Avola. Just as importantly, his two single vineyard Nero d’Avolas, Lagnusa and Vrucara, also showcase the characteristics of specific Sicilian terroirs. The two are absolute benchmarks of traditionally made Nero d’Avola wines.
