Siccagno Nero d’Avola Occhipinti 2023

Siccagno Nero d’Avola Occhipinti 2023 Certified Biodynamic Nero d’Avola based just of the SP68 road near Vittoria, in the province of Ragusa in South Eastern Sicily. The siccagno really is the benchmark for producing top class Nero D’avola using natural practices. It shows just how refined and elegant the grape can be, moving away from the heavy, jammy style associated with conventional winemaking.

The fruit comes from vines with an average age of abut 35 planted on light sandy soils of limestone at approximately 280 metres above sea level. This combination gives the wine more freshness and tension than many Nero d’Avolas grown on richer lower altitude sites. The grapes are all hand harvested and fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete tanks with 25 days on the skins. Post fermentation the wine matures for 2 years in 30 hectolitre oak barrels.

Ruby red in colour with aromas of black cherry, tobacco and black pepper. On the palate it gets a bit darker with some lovely flavours of black plum, blackberries and dark chocolate with a touch of vanilla from the barrel ageing and soft silky tannins with flavours that seem to linger in the mouth for ages! In summary a superb natural, biodynamic Nero d’Avola from a wonderful producer

Arianna Occhipinti is the niece of COS winemaker Guisto Occhipinti, so has winemaking in her blood.

Her estate lies near to Vittoria, just off the SP68 road which lends its name to some of her wines. Guided by her uncle, she's been making wine here for well over ten years now. All the vineyards are worked using biodynamic principals and she takes a non-interventionalist approach in the cellar, allowing the wine to find its own space. Only natural yeasts are used, no temperature control, no fining or filtration and minimal SO2 at bottling. Many would say Arianna is now rivalling her Uncle for quality and certainly her wines are excellent. She works with Nero d'Avola, Frappato, Zibbibo, as well as some other local varieties.