Feudo Montoni Vrucara Nero d'Avola Sicilia IGT, Sicily, Italy

蒙托尼酒莊芙蓉園黑珍珠紅葡萄酒

點擊次數(shù)：811

This is Feudo Montoni's grand achievement and the results are inspiring for what was a challenging vintage. The 2012 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is still labeled as an IGT Sicilia wine despite the fact that the denomination labeling has since changed. No matter, it lives up to its well-deserved reputation. This is a full-bodied and generous expression of Nero d'Avola that offers a thick load of dark fruit with plenty of Maraschino cherry and blackberry preserves. My only hesitation concerns the evident oak that still needs time to integrate. Given the generous textural richness and the beautifully polished tannins, I have no doubt that those spicy oak tones will tone down with a year or two of extra cellar aging. Fruit is sourced from pre-phylloxera 80 and 90-year-old vines.

The delicious 2011 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is one of the protagonists of Sicilian enology. Fabio Sireci is on an explosive upward trajectory that started at an already impressive quality level. His wines just get better and better. By law, a wine labeled Nero d'Avola must be 85% true to the variety, and I don't know if anything else is added here, but it hardly matters. Vrucara sees fruit sourced from the Principato di Villanova property in central Sicily. The wine is loaded tight with bold berry intensity, olive tapenade, hummus, crushed earth, tobacco and balsam herb. You rarely see this level of complexity with Nero d'Avola. I love everything about this beautiful wine. Fruit is sourced from 90-year-old pre-pylloxera vines.

The 2010 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is heavily loaded with oak-driven tones of cinnamon, spice and nutmeg. My impression is that the thinner nature of the fruit in the 2010 vintage has given more prominence to the oak. Dig deep and bright red cherry and prune do make appearances. Vrucara is one of the best expressions of Nero d’Avola made in Sicily and has demonstrated an ability to evolve with extra bottle aging. Drink 2015-2022. Fabio Sireci’s story is very simple. He started as a grower who sold fruit to the likes of Tasca d’Almerita and other prominent Sicilian producers. Over the years, he perfected his growing techniques and farming methodologies, soon developing a reputation as one of the finest growers of Nero d’Avola on the island. He executed various experimental trials and clonal selection efforts to earn this prized recognition. As his reputation reached an apex, Fabio ventured out on his own to start his label, Feudo Montoni. Located in the province of Agrigento in central Sicily, he runs an estate of stunning beauty. Trellised grape rows line naked hills planted to grains and wild grasses. From his winery and farmhouse, he enjoys 360-degree views of untouched and unspoiled countryside that is as remote as it is romantic. He is one of the producers I admire most in Sicily and his name always comes to mind when I crave Nero d’Avola. Importer: Selected Estates of Europe, www.selectedestates.com

In 2009, the flagship 2009 Nero d’Avola Vrucara is drop dead gorgeous. Black cherries, tar, licorice and melted rocks meld together in a big, boisterous Nero d’Avola. Here, too, the style is very much forward and full-throttle, especially within the context of Nero d’Avola, but it all works. The 2009 is all about power wedded to expressive inner perfume and sheer depth of fruit. I see a wine of exceptional richness and character in the glass. Tobacco, mint, licorice and juicy dark cherries add complexity on the rich, enveloping finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2019. The two Nero d’Avolas are the highlights in these new wines from Feudo Montoni. The entry-level Nero d’Avola is made from the estate’s younger vines and is aged for a short period in neutral French oak, while the Vrucara is an old-vines bottling that sees a year or more in French oak barrels and casks. Both are striking and highly recommended. Importer: Selected Estates of Europe, Mamaroneck, NY; tel. (914) 698-7202

The 2007 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is one of the more unusual Nero d'Avolas readers will come across. A blast of super-ripe red fruit hits the palate with authority as the Vrucara struts its stuff. This is a decidedly opulent, flashy Nero d'Avola that sits on the razor's edge of ripeness. Soft and supple on the palate, the wine flows effortlessly towards the caressing, intense finish. Floral notes add a touch of lift on the finish. The Vrucara, a single-vineyard old-vine selection from high-altitude hillside vineyards, shows the extreme of ripeness Nero d'Avola is capable of. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017. I tasted a wide range of wines from Feudo Montoni this year. The standouts are the two Nero d'Avolas. Importer: Selected Estates of Europe, Mamaroneck, NY; tel. (914) 698-7202