Team C&J
Sicily’s Catania family are one of the most respected and acclaimed producers of Nero d’Avola in the world, and what a thrill it was to experience this bottling from such an epic producer.
In addition to their ahead-of-its-time bottling of monovarietal Nero d’Avola, the Gulfi’s are also famous for experimenting with planting this grape in a number of diverse terroirs. The resulting wines offer a unique insight into the way this sometimes misunderstood grape can transform, depending on the soil in which it’s planted and the conditions in the vineyard. Even today, as their wines are some of the most popular in Sicily, they are the only estate bottling nearly ten different interpretations of Nero d’Avola.
Gulfi Cantina is a Sicilian winery located in Ragusa, which sits in the southeastern portion of the island. The Catania family has been making wine in Sicily since the 1970s, but the family estate, Gulfi Cantina, created by Vito Catania in the 1990s, did not come together until after his father, Raffaele’s death.
The family has a long history of working with Nero d’Avola at a high level. They have been evangelizing this native Italian grape since they began releasing it as a single vineyard bottling in 1996.
The estate’s holdings span vineyards across Ragusa and on Mount Etna. And while some consider Nero d’Avola an “entry-level” wine, these wines are anything but entry-level.
Today, Vito’s son, Matteo Catania, manages the winemaking alongside the family’s longtime enologist, Salvo Foti.
The grapes that Matteo used in the 2019 Gulfi Nerojbleo are organic and dry-farmed. Like so many other winemakers we have profiled recently, Matteo is a firm proponent of using dry farming not only to make more sustainable choices in the vineyard but to strengthen the vines to create more concentrated flavors in the fruit.
DOC Sicilia Rosso represents red wines from Sicily under the Sicilia DOC. The style of wine produced in this DOC is fairly broad and can be crafted from native Sicilian grapes like Nero d’Avola Nerello Mascalese and international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – although many purists do not believe in integrating those Bordeaux varieties into their wines.
The wines of Sicilia Rosso are typically medium to full-bodied and often have strong red and dark fruit characteristics, as well as heavy herbal notes.
Nero d’Avola is a Sicilian grape used to make red wine. The grape, which also goes by the name Calabrese, is the second most planted grape on the island of Sicily, after Catarrato. There is some conflicting information about the use of the name Calabrese, but it’s worth noting that in Italy’s National Registry of grape varieties, Nero d’Avola is officially listed as Calabrese.
According to Ian D’Agata’s tome, Native Grape Varieties of Italy, “Calabrese is a name used to describe other varieties in Italy (usually erroneously), and everyone in Italy and the world knows this grape variety much better as Nero d’Avola.
This tannic grape was historically used as a blending grape to add extra color and texture to wines, but it is increasingly found in designate bottlings and receives great acclaim when winemakers like Matteo Cantina work with it.
Gulfi’s Nerojbleo Nero d’Avola is one of the more interesting wines we have tried this year. What makes this wine so unique is the way the palate differs so starkly from the nose.
In the glass, the wine is a sharp ruby red. The nose is young but pronounced, and you’re hit immediately with some pretty heavy notes of red fruit and herbs. Ripe plums, red cherry, and tart cranberry mingle with sage, thyme, and even rich dark chocolate and the concentrated scent of balsamic.
When you go in for that first sip, however, things change. The rich, concentrated note, with its herbaceousness, chocolate, and fruit-forward qualities, transforms into a massive fruit bomb – in a good way. There’s an interesting mix of red and blue fruit in this full-bodied wine. Berry-like qualities appear in the form of tart raspberry and bright strawberry. Black cherry and red cherry dance with mellow blueberry. Again, this wine tastes nothing like it smells.
The finish is long-balanced, and the palate is full of intensity.
This is quite the Nero d’Avola. To be sure, Gulfi has produced a wine worthy of attention. In fact, we’re still thinking about the complexity in the glass, and how this Sicilian grape did such a highwire act when it came to looking at the way the nose transformed to the palate. To sum things up, this is a very enjoyable bottle, and at $22, the price couldn’t be better.
Italy
Sicily
Nero d’Avola
14
Matteo Catania
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
Not Needed
Enjoy right away
Gulfi
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