Region: Sicily, Italy

Varietal: 100% Nero d’Avola

Tasting notes: This elegant red is medium-bodied and well-knit, with a hint of dried oregano layered with dried raspberry, rosehip and minerally iron flavors that show loamy earth accents. Light, taut tannins trim the well-spiced finish.

Producer: Feudo Montoni has been producing top-quality wines on its historic grounds since 1469, and is currently overseen by Fabio Sireci, the third generation of a family dedicated to producing the most refined expressions of this long-cultivated terroir. Today, the certified organic winery produces many of Italy’s most celebrated 100% indigenous varietals—Perricone, Nerello Mascalese, Catarratto, Grillo, Inzolia and Passito—in addition to the purest expression of Nero d’Avola. Sireci is particularly proud of the organic farming methods, artisanal cellar practices and renewable energy sources he’s implemented and maintained, which he says preserves the grapes’ natural flavors and nuances. “We keep the vines rustic, so the foliage is free to express itself,” he says. “The vineyards are not fertilized—we condition the land by sowing broad beans and peas, and we do not use any chemical products.”

Vineyard and Winemaking: All operations in the vineyard are undertaken completely by hand, and the results speak for themselves: thanks to the Sireci family’s dedication and the vineyards’ high altitude, fluctuating temperatures, plentiful rainfall and neighboring olive and wheat plots, Feudo Montoni wines have staked their claim among the finest in the region. 35 year old vines, grafted from their old Vrucura Nero d’Avola “mother plants.” By grafting in this antique manner, they obtain grapes with a unique and exclusive “DNA” of Feudo Montoni. Fermentation 100% in cement containers. Malolactic fermentation takes place completely in cement. Aged 20 months in cement, 4 months in barrels, 4 months in the bottle.