94pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Tasted from magnum, the Feudo Montoni 2017 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Vrucara is a certified organic expression of Sicily’s vinous protagonist, Nero d'Avola, from a single vineyard planted to ancient pre-phylloxera vines. The fruit is dark and shows medium concentration, pointing to the hot and dry conditions of this growing season. But this native grape thrives in hot weather, allowing for plenty of aromatic expression and depth. Black cherry opens the bouquet, but it follows softly to toasted nut, sweet potting soil and cured tobacco. Ultimately, this is more of a mid-weight wine than it is an all-out, full-bodied expression. This lighter approach gives this red an extra layer of elegance and grace, with some fruity sweetness on the close.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

Elegantly structured, this opens with enticing scents of ripe dark-skinned fruit, blue flower, Mediterranean brush and whiffs of sun-baked earth. Made with organically farmed grapes, the smooth, delicious palate offers juicy black cherry, blackberry, carob and baking spice alongside polished tannins.

92pts Vinous

The 2017 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is intense, with a burst of medicinal black cherries, sweet exotic spices, balsam herbs and Baker’s chocolate creating its dark and exotic bouquet. This washes across the palate in silky textural waves, delivering ripe black fruits and balsamic tones, as nuances of tobacco form toward the close. A coating of tannins remains, yet they’re sweet and round, which helps to frame the otherwise hedonistic expression within without slowing the Vrucara’s momentum.

Winemaker Notes

A bright ruby red color, Vrucara is intense and persistent on the nose with earthy aromas, notes of red plum and dark berries, which are in harmony with notes of rose petal, vanilla, balsamic, eucalyptus and licorice. Soft and velvety on the palate, with a delicate acidity and well-balanced and soft tannins. Vrucara has a prolonged aromatic persistence on the finish.

Blend: 100% Nero d’Avola

Vintage Notes

The 2017 vintage was characterized by changes to the normal annual weather patterns. Rainfall was lower than the annual average during the first 8 months of 2017; the year commenced with strong precipitation including heavy snowfall in January and into March, creating good underwater reserves of water. However, from the onset of spring, rainfall was light and inconsistent, creating concern for the successful vegetative cycle of the vines. Despite the dry weather conditions, the average temperatures from June to August were within normal range and not marked by excessive peaks of heat. Additionally, during the summer months, due to the high altitude of the vineyard, the nighttime temperatures fell drastically, creating strong thermic excursions between night and day, typical to the land of Montoni. During the months of September and October, steady rainfall positively prolonged the final stage of maturation of the grapes, and strong wind patterns acted like ventilators, keeping the maturing grapes cool and dry. The overall production was lower than average annual yields, but the grapes, which were harvested in late-October, were healthy, mature and of excellent quality.

Vineyard Notes

Vrucara is the name of the cru from which the grapes hail. The name has its origins in a vineyard of which the land has always been called “Vrucara.” It takes this name due to the presence of vruca, a Sicilian word for a bush that grows spontaneously around the vineyard. This herb has aromas of menthol mixed with those of incense oil. Transferred into the old, unique vines, we notice this aroma in the wine.

Organic