Tasting notes from the winery for Il Villaggio Rose 2018

Summary: On the far north-western tip of Sicily and sitting above the ancient city of Erice, are the beautiful vineyards striving to produce wines of expression and typicity. Older, low yielding vines that are farmed organically and painstakingly hand-harvested, here are an expression of love for an ancient way of life in an ancient land.  

Winemaking: Hand harvested in the cool of the morning, fermented in open top fermenters with plunging by hand and additional time on skins to ensure colour and flavour extraction. Fermented slowly and then transferred into a combination of larger format oak and stainless steel for maturation. The wine was then blended and bottled with minimal fining and filtration.

2018 Vintage: Sicily enjoyed constant temperatures throughout the spring and summer; mild and without excess, resulting in physiologically balanced grapes. Most wines were picked mid-September, with an optimal balance of alcohol and acidity. The even temperatures allowed the red grapes to continue maturing well into October, until midway through the month rain and humidity settled in. Nero d’Avola is a hardy variety that develops rich fruit flavour whilst maintaining its freshness and acidity in the warmer climate and vintages.

Tasting Note: Pale and bright in the glass this is a food-lovers wine and is instantly memorable with lifted cherry and raspberry with hints of leather and a touch of spice. The palate is soft yet flavoursome and extremely moreish. Rich in red fruit flavours yet laden with savoury spice notes with brisk acidity that makes for a very long, salivating finish. This wine is a very versatile food wine and would match well with antipasto and cheeses.

Producer: Il Villaggio

Grape: Nero D’Avola 100%

Pronunciation: ‘Ne-ro Dah-Avola’

Region: Sicily, Italy

Zone: DOC of Sicily

REVIEWS FOR Il Villaggio Rose 2018

"Delicately expressed, the wine shows raspberry, crunchy apple, dry grass and lemon peel aromas on the nose. It’s elegantly weighted and finely textured on the palate, offering linear mouthfeel and vibrant acidity, finishing crisp and lingering. At its best: now to 2021."

Rated: 90 Points

- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2020

(SKU: IV_ROS_18)