Occhipinti | Sicily | Grotte Alte Cerasuoli di Vittoria DOCG | 2019 | 750ml | bio

Description

Product description for Occhipinti Grotte Alte Cerasuoli di Vittoria DOCG 2019 (bio)The Grotte Alte is a Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG wine. This blend, made from 50% Nero d’Avola and 50% Frappato, has slipped somewhat out of the mainstream due to the tremendous success of Occhipinti’s Contrade wines. Unjustifiably, because it is one of Sicily’s truly great red wines, which Arianna herself describes as perhaps her most ambitious project. The grapes for this Mediterranean-influenced wine grow on the limestone ridges of Vittoria on approximately 40-year-old vines at a good 280 meters above sea level. Fermentation takes place exclusively spontaneously with the vineyard’s own yeasts for a good 30 days in neutral concrete on the skins. The wine then ages for four years in 50-hectoliter Burgundy barrels from Marc Grenier, before aging in bottle for a further four months before release. That’s a hell of a lot of time, but it condenses into the taste from the first sip, even without knowing about the complex production process. A reflection of its origins, it combines the aromas of spicy sea air with the aroma of the downdrafts of the Iblei Mountains. A great spectacle.

Colour

Dark garnet red with a black core. Nose The nose of the 2019 Grotte Alte Cerasuolo di Vittoria by Arianna Occhipinti opens like the heavy doors of an old cathedral: the red berry fruit oscillates between cherries, raspberries, and mulberries, as well as between concentration and a fresh nature with acidity and youthful vibrancy. Ethereal notes of orange blossom, a touch of cedar, vetiver, and more stone fruit float above it like a hoovercraft. The whole thing has incredible depth and brilliance and makes the lips eagerly purse their lips.

Palate

The profundity of the nose is reflected in the attack, complemented by subtle Mediterranean maquis and distinctively fruity notes of red vineyard peach, orange zest, and transparent ruby-red fruit, which also rises to cathedral grandeur on the palate. Silky and elegant, it has immense depth, flanked by almost dusty tannins, fine and tightly woven on the tongue. Aromatically profound, complex, and multi-layered with an orchestral finish and a length that is difficult to quantify. A red wine that, despite its warm, southern origins, proves that it is not the darkest, most powerful, and therefore loudest wine that marks the top, but rather the fine, quiet wine with its subtle, yet all the more emphatic nature.

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Keywords: Occhipinti Grotte Alte Cerasuoli di Vittoria DOCG 2019 bio Sicily Italy

Producer website: http://www.agricolaocchipinti.it/en/