2011 Daino Bosco di Santo Pietro, Suber IGT Rosso, I Vigneri, Caltagirone, Sicily.
This tiny organic estate on Sicily’s far eastern side near Catania has it’s own unique terroir with it’s own soil and climate conditions that make it special and it part of Salvo Foti’s I Vigneri which oversees holistic vineyard sites. The Suber is a blend of Nero d’ Avola, Frappato and Alicante which goes through natural/native vinification/fermentation then raised in old large barrel and cask for about 12 months, then rested in bottle a further 6 months, these vines are bush trained and everything is done with respect for the land and ancient traditional winemaking techniques, without fining or filtration. Daino was looking to achieve pure and distinct character from their estate which is set in an old cork forest and nature preserve with red sandy soils and Mediterranean arenaceous rock, which differs from the wines of Etna (all volcanic) and Vittoria to the south which is more limestone/seabed based. The sexy dark color is what you notice first, the Alicante is a real pigment intense black grape, while the Nero d’ Avola and Frappato give depth and delicacy to this lovely and hedonistic Sicilian red, at 14.5%, this not a wimpy wine, but there is superb balance and silky tannins that don’t take away from it’s earthy old world charms. The nose has a mix of floral and spicy tones with loamy notes along with a hint of black fig leading to a warm palate of blackberry, plum, raspberry and dark liqueur along with dusty raisin, anise, a mix of spice, earth and mineral. There is some grip and cut here too and the finish is long with a nice play between sweet and savory elements, this is an interesting and intriguing wine, sort of a new layer in Sicilian wine, best to enjoy in it’s youth, with a pleasing window from 2015-2018. Diano’s Suber is a great addition to the I Vigneri collection, well worth a little search to find it, it mixes old school winemaking with a modern thought to varietals, very impressive stuff.
($45 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive