Syrah 'Sole di Sesta' Cottanera 2020
"Sole di Sesta" is a mineral and fruity Syrah from Castiglione di Sicilia, aged in first and second passage barriques. The aromas have a complex and rich aromatic profile, where the classic spicy, fruity, and herbal notes of the grape variety can be recognized. On the palate, it has depth and width, with young tannins and good freshness that make it a long-lived wine.
The Syrah “Sole di Sesta” by Cottanera is the expression of one of the international grape varieties that has found its perfect place in Sicily and ability to reveal its best characteristics. The Syrah is described on the label by an excerpt from the poem “Poscia ch’Amor del tutto m’ha lasciato”, taken from the “Rime” of Dante Alighieri. In this brief excerpt, the Sun (also referenced in the name of the wine) is described along with its slow but wise action that inevitably allows the grapes from Cottanera to harness energy and gift us with wine jewels.
The “Sole di Sesta” Syrah from Cottanera sees its vineyards rooted in volcanic soils in the Cottanera and Feudo di Mezzo areas. The harvest begins around mid-September and is done by hand, so as to select only the bunches in perfect condition and of the best quality. Subsequently, the work moves to the winery where maceration occurs in contact with the skins for about a month, followed by fermentation at controlled temperature between 26 and 28 °C with punctual pump-overs and punch downs. In the following 16 months, aging takes place in medium/high toasting French oak barrels before completing the process and bottling, keeping the wine for 18 months before commercialization.
The Cottanera Syrah “Sole di Sesta” strikes the eye with its dark and dense ruby red, almost reminiscent of the soil from which it originates and the activity of the Mountain, Etna. Chocolate and spicy notes of black pepper gently tickle the nose, accompanied by aromas of ripe fruit such as blueberry and black currant and Mediterranean scrub. On the palate, the perfectly integrated tannin caresses the mouth, creating a rich sip with a full and warm taste. The tenacious freshness allows this Syrah to remain lively and taut throughout the tasting. “Sole di Sesta” is undoubtedly a wine that bears the signature of its land, yet the placement in the Dantesque world that the Supreme Poet would have reserved for those who tasted this wine remains uncertain: in Hell in the circle of the gluttonous or just below the Empyrean? Probably halfway.