Caleo works the south-eastern corner of Sicily, where Nero d'Avola has grown since long before anyone thought to put it on a label. The grape is the island's own, and this is it in a dry, full-bodied red.
- Nero d'Avola, Sicily's signature red grape.
- Sicilia DOC, the island-wide appellation.
- 2020 vintage, now showing a few years of bottle age.
- 13.5% ABV, dry, medium tannin, medium acidity.
How it is made
Nero d'Avola is a thick-skinned grape that ripens late and stands up to the Sicilian sun, which is why it has been the island's workhorse red for centuries. Sicilia DOC covers the whole of Sicily, so the wine can be drawn from vineyards across the island rather than one small zone.
How it tastes
Black cherry and plum lead, with dried herbs and a tobacco note underneath. The tannins are smooth rather than grippy, and the fruit stays dark and warm through to the end. Full-bodied but not heavy.
Good to know
Nero d'Avola means "black of Avola", a town on Sicily's south-eastern coast. The name was once used loosely for several dark grapes on the island; it took modern ampelography to sort out which one was which.
