Angelo Casagrande

9.1

Big and rich with a bit of oak. Fruity- plums and blackberry and some pepper. Tannins were smooth and the wine had such a full, round feel. Excellent. — 6 years ago

Anne Carman

8.9

Heady notes of muddled red raspberry, salami and meadow grass. Significant tannins and vanilla edge. Warm finish. — 7 years ago

Miss Harvey

8.9

Bright and full of minerals. It would round out if aged a bit — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.3

Apparently Tasting Note Tuesday
is now a thing (thanks for the heads up @Greg Ballington). That said, I’m still an advocate of everyday of the week, but I’ll participate nonetheless.

A wine such as this requires serious research. Fortunately Ian D’Agata’s notes in Vinous are indispensable: “Feudo Montoni’s greatest wine is the Nero d’Avola Vrucara, a single vineyard wine made from roughly 80-100 year-old vines that grow at 500 meters above sea level. Most of the vines are of pre-phylloxera origin, and are therefore ungrafted. The vineyard’s name derives from the Sicilian word vruca, a local herb that grows in the vineyards and exudes aromas of menthol and incense. The Vrucara vineyard is especially beautiful, a field of gnarly, very thick trunked and low-lying bush vines hugging the dark mainly clay soils (with a little loam and sand). Vinification is... very traditional... At its best, Vrucara is a benchmark Nero d’Avola, eschewing the vanilla notes of more modern interpretations of Nero d’Avolas, while offering multilayered violet, blueberry, macerated red cherries in alcohol, tar and spicy aromas and flavors, with a characteristic hint of eucalyptus and incense.”

The 2012 doesn’t veer off course. Benefits from an hour open, but a few would be ideal. A mashup of spiced cherry and blackberry is hard to miss, but the floral, earthen, and leather entanglement is the attraction here and clearly terroir driven. There’s a noticeable clay pot and smoked meat component which beautifully emphasizes how old world this wine really is. The oak treatment is evident, but the wine is also able to withstand a fair amount and still proudly carry its old world card. — 8 years ago

Mikey T

9.0

Wow, what a deal at < $20 / bottle
Wine spectator says #69 of top 100 of 2014.
A burly, brambly red, underscored by tarry smoke and underbrush notes, offering flavors of blackberry coulis, herb-marinated black olive, grilled mushroom and ground spice. This shows muscle that recommends it to short-term cellaring, made accessible by integration and balance. Drink now through 2024. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. #69 – 91 points — 8 years ago

Scott Gregory

9.0

Delicious, rich, acid — 9 years ago

with Michael

Peter Sultan

9.0

My wheelhouse flavor profile-echoes of Jura, green bean foam, asian pear. Eye opener, & less than 15$ — 10 years ago

Lizzie Clawson

9.0

World Of Wines 9/11/15 — 11 years ago

K J

9.1

Copper common. Really good. Medium body. Medium acidity. — 12 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.3

Spectacular Puglia wine from the Falvo family (previous Avignonesi owners). Still going strong on age 9! — 6 years ago

Alice Graulty

9.0

Mostly smooth, some sweet but also dry. Slight tannin finish, but not much. Good with cheese. — 7 years ago

with Corinne

Karoline Elgesem

9.5

Good drinking wine. — 8 years ago

Briana Levine

9.0

Dry, buttery minerals — 8 years ago

Nenad Kesin

8.9

Very pleasent wine, low acid, low tannins, lots of juicy fruits. And rather cheap for what it offers. — 8 years ago

MaJ CappS

8.9

Smells like a peat bog.
Earthy, decomposing, dark fruits, big juicy Brett of a mouthful.
Negroamaro is a highly underrated grape. Such big flavour, and a hefty weight.
Can you dig it? Yes, I can. — 8 years ago

Richard Parks III

9.8

It's pretty much perfect. — 9 years ago

David D

8.9

Super dark. Mineral, cherry, leather, lots of bright acid. From Seventh Avenue Liquors. — 9 years ago

Michael Amoruso

9.0

Delicious medium body, fresh orange aroma, good food wine. — 11 years ago

Roman Sosnovskiy

Brand Ambassador Bodegas Ramon Bilbao, Organizer "Wine Games" competition Moscow

9.0

Немного пыльно-овсяного тона, сдобренного красными ягодами. Во рту мягкое, среднетелое с оттенком терна во вкусе, достаточно деликатное — 11 years ago

Olexandr Isayev

9.1

Great wine — 12 years ago

Owain Jones

9.1

Very smooth, one of the smoothest we have tasted. Glass tasted at aan de Poel, Amsterdam with beef, cépe and celeriac — 7 years ago

Rob Worthington-Kirsch

9.5

Very smooth. — 7 years ago

John Washko

9.0

Well balanced and easy drinking ...Organic, purity from volcanic soil — 7 years ago

Mallory

9.3

light summery red – we really enjoyed this — 8 years ago

Amie Brown

8.9

When in Sicily... drink local #sicilianwine — 8 years ago

Nate Wall

Winemaker at Troon Vineyard

9.0

Honeydew melon, apricot, mandarin orange, pear, hay, subtle white flowers. Having never tasted Petite Arvine, this was fuller, richer and lower acid than I was anticipating for an “alpine white”. Almost caramel apple like on the palate. I see some similar characteristics with Savoie Altesse. Interesting. — 8 years ago

K. Ross

8.9

Blueberries cassis chocolate violet prune. Slightly chewy medium tannin. Medium minus acidity. Well balanced. Warm mouthfeel. Some jammyness comes a bit later. — 9 years ago

Darren Guillaume

9.0

Nice oxidation. 2011. Minerality jumps out. — 10 years ago

Kyle Harvey

9.0

Can't believe this mellowed out Syrah came from the island. — 10 years ago

John Kersey

9.3

Full, inky, chewy, soft but strong tannins. Beautiful wine but would be tough to pair with anything but barbecue. Probably best after dinner with cheese, chocolate, dried fruits. — 11 years ago