2008 NeroBaronj

Anyone who doubts the longevity and site-transparent properties of Nero d’Avola needs to only check with the Gulfi portfolio. Over the last few years, the winery has sent assorted bottles from older vintages (2002 and 2003 were the most recent), which I’ve included in past reports to show how well these wines can age. This year, I thought it prudent to follow those up with a full-fledged vertical. I chose the NeroSanloré, which I tasted from the upcoming 2020 vintage, back to 2001 (the first release), a total of eight vintages. The NeroSanloré vineyard is situated only 700 meters from the sea at just 10-15 meters above sea level, growing in predominantly sandy soils. We added an older NeroMaccarj from 2006 to the mix after discovering how complex and vibrant the 2006 NeroSanloré was. The results of the tasting were astounding. While I’ve been a fan of mature Nero d’Avola for some time, seeing how well each of the vintages showed was remarkable. Cellaring these wines will reward patient collectors, which brings me to the upcoming 2020s. The wines have yet to be bottled and are still in inox (stainless steel), scheduled to be released in 2026. They possess a level of depth, energy and complexity that is seldom seen. While the result of a warm and dry year, the balance Gulfi achieved in these wines is spellbinding. I find a bit more muscle for the long term in the 2019s, but I wouldn’t pass up the chance to add the 2020s to my cellar.

Gulfi’s Matteo Catania has come back swinging after the difficult 2018 vintage. The 2019s are gorgeous, deep, rich, dark-fruited and classically structured. What’s more, they are transparent to terroir, which makes it hard for me even to recommend one over the other. Catania described 2019 as a balanced year without drastic climatic or notable heat events. This year, I also tasted a selection of 2002 cru wines, the Nerobaronj and Nerosanlorenzj and the 2003 NeroSanloré, which all showed beautifully. Catania has been a strong proponent of Nero d'Avola’s ability to age. A bottle of wine rarely makes it from my tasting table to the dinner table, but with the 2002 Nerosanlorenzj, I simply couldn’t resist. These are some of the best wines being made, not just in Sicily but all of Italy.

This year's lineup from Gulfi included two vintages of their single-vineyard Nero d'Avolas, 2014 and 2018. What is interesting about this location in Sicily, versus much of the rest of Italy, is that 2014 was actually a good vintage for them, even if production was down. At the southern tip of the Island, they experienced a cool and dry year, with drought conditions through August, which was difficult for Gulfi, as they refuse to irrigate. However, the result is a truly stunning selection of wines that are already drinking beautifully. Keep in mind that these bottles have been refined in the winery cellar for seven total years; and yet, they maintain the same release price as the 2018s next to them. As for the 2018s, it’s going to be interesting to watch them develop. This was a warm, sometimes HOT, and rainy year that required strict selection in the vineyards to bring in healthy fruit. The wines are successful, yet they have a more finessed and light-hearted personality than what you’d typically expect, and earlier drinking windows as a result. However, the 2018 NeroSanloré really captured my attention, a vineyard that’s only 700 meters from the sea and at 10-15 meters in elevation.

Tasting with co-owner Matteo Catania of Gulfi is always an eye-opening experience. When I think of Gulfi, the first thing that comes to mind is their lineup of single-vineyard Nero d’Avola - it’s amazing to consider when tasting through the range that such a large percentage of the variety made by other producers is merely passable. Some people might assume that Nero d'Avola should be nothing more than an easy-sipping, fresh and fruity wine to enjoy while staying at a resort on the Sicilian coast, but they would be wrong, and Gulfi is the producer that can prove it. For many years, I’ve enjoyed the upfront, high-energy and fruity nature of the Baronj, the balanced richness and underlying structure of the Maccarj, the big, brooding and intense fruit of the Bufaleffj and the remarkable beauty and precision of the Sanlorè. Tasting these wines is pure pleasure, but doing so while looking at a satellite map of the vineyards themselves as they cascade down toward the southern coast, literally to the point where you can see the water and sand from the vines, is unreal. What’s even better news for the Gulfi family is that as of 2020, the wines are permitted to bear the Pachino sub-zone on their labels – a victory for Gulfi, as it’s been a fight to legally separate this qualitative zone from the much larger Noto region. Gulfi is not only about Nero d’Avola; the winery also excels with a fresh and fruity Cerasuolo, as well as a Cerasuolo Classico that’s expertly refined in tonneaux. They have a mix of Nerello Mascalese and (of all things) Pinot Noir growing at 800 meters on the northern slope of Etna and a wickedly fresh Carricante planted closer to the winery. I’ve been tasting through this portfolio for many years now, both here and abroad, and I must say that Gulfi has been on a qualitative rise; these recent releases only prove that their forward momentum continues. Incidentally, I was also sent a 2002 NeroMaccarj from the winery’s cellar, as part of a library release program that Gulfi has been experimenting with in small quantities. At nearly 20 years old, this 2002 may be the most mature Nero d’Avola I’ve ever tasted. It was bottled at the same time as the original release and held in the cellar until this year. As a lover of mature wine, I found tasting this to be a pleasure and a testament to the variety’s capacity to age.

This is the estate that focused everyone’s attention on the need to bottle single-contrada Nero d’Avolas – something that, unlike on Etna, has only started to take hold recently on the rest of the island with grape varieties other than Carricante or the Nerellos. In fact, at Gulfi, the Catania family recently planted a few more hectares to bush vines of Nero d’Avola in both the Maccari and Bufaleffj contrade. Co-owner Matteo Catania strongly believes in the grand cru quality of Pachino’s exceptional Nero d’Avola wines and is working to have this subzone recognized officially, instead of being lumped into the bigger Noto category. Catania also would like to see a Nero d’Avola wine subdenomination in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria zone, much as there now exists the Vittoria Frappato designation; one possibility is that it could be called Nero d’Avola Monti Iblei after the local mountains. More importantly, perhaps, is that Gulfi has made some of its best wines ever these last two years, and especially so in 2016, which is admittedly a fantastic vintage in Sicily. The 2016 Nerobufaleffj and 2016 Nerosanlorè are, if not the best, then definitely among the best wines ever made from these contrade, at least at a similar stage of development. But all the other wines, whites included, have improved by leaps and bounds, too, boasting greater precision, depth and refinement.

This is the estate that focused everyone’s attention on the need to bottle single-contrada Nero d’Avolas – something that, unlike on Etna, has only started to take hold recently on the rest of the island with grape varieties other than Carricante or the Nerellos. In fact, at Gulfi, the Catania family recently planted a few more hectares to bush vines of Nero d’Avola in both the Maccari and Bufaleffj contrade. Co-owner Matteo Catania strongly believes in the grand cru quality of Pachino’s exceptional Nero d’Avola wines and is working to have this subzone recognized officially, instead of being lumped into the bigger Noto category. Catania also would like to see a Nero d’Avola wine subdenomination in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria zone, much as there now exists the Vittoria Frappato designation; one possibility is that it could be called Nero d’Avola Monti Iblei after the local mountains. More importantly, perhaps, is that Gulfi has made some of its best wines ever these last two years, and especially so in 2016, which is admittedly a fantastic vintage in Sicily. The 2016 Nerobufaleffj and 2016 Nerosanlorè are, if not the best, then definitely among the best wines ever made from these contrade, at least at a similar stage of development. But all the other wines, whites included, have improved by leaps and bounds, too, boasting greater precision, depth and refinement.

This year's lineup from Gulfi included two vintages of their single-vineyard Nero d'Avolas, 2014 and 2018. What is interesting about this location in Sicily, versus much of the rest of Italy, is that 2014 was actually a good vintage for them, even if production was down. At the southern tip of the Island, they experienced a cool and dry year, with drought conditions through August, which was difficult for Gulfi, as they refuse to irrigate. However, the result is a truly stunning selection of wines that are already drinking beautifully. Keep in mind that these bottles have been refined in the winery cellar for seven total years; and yet, they maintain the same release price as the 2018s next to them. As for the 2018s, it’s going to be interesting to watch them develop. This was a warm, sometimes HOT, and rainy year that required strict selection in the vineyards to bring in healthy fruit. The wines are successful, yet they have a more finessed and light-hearted personality than what you’d typically expect, and earlier drinking windows as a result. However, the 2018 NeroSanloré really captured my attention, a vineyard that’s only 700 meters from the sea and at 10-15 meters in elevation.

There is no better producer of Nero d’Avola wines in Sicily, and the Catania family deserves credit for being the first to launch and believe in single-contrada wines that showcase differences between vineyard areas. The wines are all very intense and concentrated and speak clearly of the southeastern corner of the island, specifically of the Pachino subzone, famous the world over for its extremely high-quality tomato and its outstanding extra-virgin olive oil. Over the years, the estate has also started making wines on Etna as well as an interesting Pinot Nero wine.

Simply put, Gulfi is one of the best--if not the best--producers of Nero d’Avola wines in Sicily as well as one of Italy’s top wine estates. A decade or so ago when many in Sicily were advocating turning Sicily into a brand, with wines generically labeled as such, Gulfi held firm and began single-zone (rather than single-vineyard) Nero d’Avola wine production. It is thanks to the Catania family, the owners of Gulfi, if today we know that there are differences between the Nero d’Avola wines made not just in Menfi, Camporeale and Pachino, but also within the Pachino production area itself, where single contrade such as Maccari, Baroni, Bufaleffi and San Lorenzo give rise to wildly different wines.

Another sure-fire sign of quality is Gulfi’s insistence on the alberello training system, which is arguably the best for producing wines of real complexity and finesse, as these old bush vines are perfectly adapted to the extreme environment of Sicily’s southeastern tip. Last but not least, consulting winemaker Salvo Foti, who knows more about Sicily and its wines than anybody else, is another ace up Gulfi’s sleeve.

When I think of benchmark producers of Nero d'Avola one of the first names that comes to mind is Gulfi. The estate makes a number of single-vineyard Nero d'Avolas that provide an opportunity to explore the various shades this great Sicilian variety is capable of expressing. Gulfi's best-known wines emerge from head-trained Nero d'Avola in the Pachino and Val di Noto districts, all farmed organically. The Reseca, a Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of the Etna, is the exception, but it, too, is fabulous.

Readers who want to understand what makes Nero d'Avola such a compelling grape should take a close look at these new releases from Gulfi. A house style is evident, but the five Nero d'Avolas are also strikingly different. The Reseca is the first wine I have tasted from the esate's vineyards on Mount Etna.

Gulfi is one of my go-to producers for fine Nero d'Avola. With the exception of the Nerosanlore', these 2006s are well worth looking for.

Gulfi is one of my favorite producers of fine Nero d'Avola. These four top selections explore different facets of this native variety and are all compelling, each in their own way.

Also recommended: 2006 Carjcanti Sicilia Bianco (85). Other wines tasted: 2004 Nero Maccarj Sicilia Rosso. Selected Estates of Europe, Mamaroneck, NY; Wine Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA)

Gulfi is one of my favorite producers of Nero d'Avola. The estate owns vineyards in several appellations, the most important of which are in the Val di Noto, between Pachino and Noto, an area long-renowned for its Nero d'Avolas. The vineyards are planted to the free-standing system known here as alberello. Gulfi makes three single-vineyard Nero d'Avolas that offer notable complexity as well as personality. The NeroBaronj is the most accessible of the wines while the NeroBuffalej is the most opulent. I imagine most readers will have a tough time pronouncing the names of these wines, so keep in mind that the “j” is pronounced like an “i”.

Gulfi’s Matteo Catania has come back swinging after the difficult 2018 vintage. The 2019s are gorgeous, deep, rich, dark-fruited and classically structured. What’s more, they are transparent to terroir, which makes it hard for me even to recommend one over the other. Catania described 2019 as a balanced year without drastic climatic or notable heat events. This year, I also tasted a selection of 2002 cru wines, the Nerobaronj and Nerosanlorenzj and the 2003 NeroSanloré, which all showed beautifully. Catania has been a strong proponent of Nero d'Avola’s ability to age. A bottle of wine rarely makes it from my tasting table to the dinner table, but with the 2002 Nerosanlorenzj, I simply couldn’t resist. These are some of the best wines being made, not just in Sicily but all of Italy.