The 2011 Santagostino Baglio Soria is a bold blend of Nero d’Avola and Syrah in equal parts that doles out a long line of resin, tar, smoke, spice, dark chocolate, cola and syrupy espresso. The wine spends eight months in oak and is one of the less-oaked wines in the Firriato line. Nero d’Avola and Syrah is a combination that always works well. This expression is almost over the top in terms of its overall opulence, but it certainly delivers impressive complexity and length at a very attractive price. Drink 2014-2019. The ultimate Sicilian power couple, Salvatore Di Gaetano and the ever-alluring Vinzia Novara are the brains, brawn and beauty behind one of Sicily’s most successful, but highly individualistic brands. Firriato has always marched to its own drum. They are part of the first wave of bigger companies to invest on Etna, and they are the first to make wine on the arid island of Favignana off the Trapani coastline. The Firriato winemaking style is, to my mind, the most oak-forward and “international” in Sicily today. Importer: Soilair Selection, www.soilairselection.com