2011 Nero d'Avola Vrucara

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.

Feudo Montoni is one of Sicily’s half dozen top producers, and certainly only Gulfi makes Nero d’Avola wines as true to type and outstanding as those of Feudo Montoni. While the estate's Nero d’Avola Vrucara has always been one of the best Nero d’Avola wines made, it was often overlooked by critics because it was neither a high-pH nor a huge and chocolatey wine. Owner Fabio Sireci has gradually expanded his winery’s offerings to include an ever-improving line-up of white wines, and now a monovariety Perricone, which is already one of the island’s best. Sireci told me that his father first experimented with a monovariety Perricone wine in 1997, but had continued to sell his grapes to larger local wineries. Only recently, thanks to the financial windfall brought about by the greatly increased interest in Italy’s native varieties, has Fuedo Montoni decided to make it commercially available (the first vintage went on sale about five years ago).