Arianna Occhipinti, SP68 Rosso IGT Terre Siciliane

€29,95

Arianna Occhipinti SP 68 Rosso (Nero d'Avola and Frappato) is slightly turbid purple/red in the glass showing aromas of wild cherries, plum and mulberry with just a touch of raspberry lift. There are hints of flowers, leather, smoke, spice and herbs with wafts of liquorice, earth and mandarin rind.

In the mouth the initial attack of fruit is awash with wild cherry sheathed in tobacco leaf with supporting fruit flavours of dark plum and blackberry. A very pretty wine on the palate with violet-like floral flicks across the leather and spice backdrop with hints of roasted meats, citrus rind and scattered herbs. It’s delicious and lively with a nice, lingering finish set upon a plinth of ripe, fine grained gravelly tannins. Super drinking…..it doesn’t mind a bit of chilling down also which is a godsend at this time of the year….a bit of time in the fridge is ideal…it tightens up a little and is a joy to drink.

 

The SP68 is the name of the main road that passes near to Arianna’s home town of Vittoria….it lies in the far south of Sicily just to the west of Ragusa. It is here that she has been making wine for the past ten years under the tutelage of her uncle, Giusto Occhipinti who owns and runs the famous COS estate.

All the vineyards are worked using biodynamic principals and the work in the cellar is measured…not pushing the wine in any way…letting it find its own space…..natural yeasts, no temperature control, no fining or filtration and minimal SO2 at bottling.