2019 Marabino ‘Archimede’ Grand Cru Nero d’Avola

Variety:  100% Nero d’Avola

Region of Origin:  Sicily

Tasting Notes

The colour is an intense ruby red with violet reflections. The nose is complex, showing ripe dark and red fruits as well as lots of minerality, peppery spice, black tea and floral aromas. On the palate, round, accessible, very fine-grained, polished tannin, clear extraction, but also a good acidity that invigorates, gives pull and freshness, the fruit is incredibly crisp and harmonizes with the structure. The finish is characterized by red fruit, leaving behind sour cherries and a fine saltiness. A powerful Nero d'Avola, with tension and elegance.

Wine Making

The winemaker is Pierpaolo Messina. He took over the reins of the family business, Marabino, in 2008 when he returned to Sicily after experiences in Tuscany. The wine is made with 100% Nero d'Avola from over 50-year-old bush vines that thrive on calcareous soils in a south-facing location. The vineyards are in the low hills with a particularly sunny but windy climate and characterized by significant diurnal ranges. Marabino practice Biodynamics viticulture, with no use of herbicides, no chemical treatments and no synthetic fertilizers. Pesticide treatments are limited to low doses of mine sulphur. Fertilizations is limited to biodynamic preparations, shredded pruning and green manure of grasses and legumes. Spontaneous fermentation occurs in steel tanks for long maceration of the must with the skins. Maturation continues over 44 months using spherical cement tanks before refinement in the bottle.

The Vineyard

The vineyards occupy about 30 hectares near Noto, a small town in the south-east of Sicily with a population of around 20,000. The town is located at a similar latitude to Tunis, about 10 km south-west of the city of Avola, which is also the namesake of the most important red wine variety in Sicily: Nero d'Avola.