Region: Sicily
Producer: Tasca d'Almerita
Alcohol:13%
Grape Varieties: 100% Nero d'Avola
Closure: Cork

Producer: The large Regaleali estate, high in the central Sicilian hills, has been in the hands of the noble Tasca family since 1830. Ever since, the property has been run according to the best principles of the agricultural aristocracy: with one eye firmly on quality, and the other on experimentation. Tasca's large range is the product of the family's most successful innovations, including short pruning for lower yields, the championing of local Inzolia and Nero d'Avola vines, the introduction of French varieties, and the use of barrique and temperature control. Even now, forty grape varieties from all over Europe are planted just for experimental purposes, with the possibility of making the grade in the future. However, there is already plenty on offer in this singularly accomplished range of Sicilian wines.

Vineyard: The grapes in the Lamuri are selected from vineyards planted at 450-750 metres above sea level. Winery The must was fermented at 25-28C, with twelve days of skin contact. The wine was then aged for twelve months in French oak barrels (Allier and Troncais), of which twenty percent was new and the remainder a combination of second and third passage.

Taste: Aromatic, with mint and plums on the nose, some bay/cinnamon complexity, and an elegant structure on the palate, this is fine, savoury stuff.