2022 Occhipinti "Siccagno" Nero d’Avola, Sicily, Italy
Regular price $58.00
Unit price per
100% Nero d’Avola
Arianna Occhipinti has been a trailblazer in Sicilian natural winemaking at 21 years old when she released her first vintage in 2004, she has since gained a cult following in the biodynamic movement.Arianna is the niece of Giusto Occhpinti, whose COS wines are undisputedly amongst the very best of Sicily. In 1998, Giusto invited her to help him out at Vinitaly for four days. Arianna was 16 at the time and knew nothing about wine; the experience was such a good one that she decided to study viticulture and oenology in university.
100% Nero d'Avola. From multiple, certified-organic parcels with vines averaging 35 years old, planted on red-sandy, limestone soils and trained in alberello and guyot. The bunches are hand-harvested and destemmed with the berries left whole. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts in concrete tanks and with approximately 30 days of maceration and only gentle extraction. The wine is aged for 22 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak botti and is bottled without fining or filtration. Sulfur use is minimal.
The sandy clay soils provides the wine with softer tannins, aided by destemming and almost two years in oak. Chili pepper, wet tobacco and black cherries collide on the nose while the palate can be characterized by dark licorice, tart dark cherry, ashy charcoal and fresh potting soil.