Syrah 'Sole di Sesta' Cottanera 2019

Cottanera's "Sole di Sesta" Syrah is an expression of one of the international grape varieties that in Sicily has found its perfect location and ability to reveal its best characteristics. Syrah is described on the label by an excerpt from the poem "Poscia ch'Amor del tutto m'ha lasciato," taken from Dante Alighieri's "Rime." This brief excerpt describes the Sun (also taken from the wine's name) and its slow but wise action that inevitably allows Cottanera's grapes to harness its energy and give us viticultural jewels.

Cottanera's "Sole di Sesta" Syrah sees its vineyards take root in lava soils in the Cottanera and Feudo di Mezzo districts. Harvesting begins in mid-September and is done by hand-picking so that only bunches in perfect condition and of the best quality can be selected. Then the work passes to the winery, where maceration in contact with the skins takes place first for about a month, followed by fermentation at a controlled temperature between 26 and 28 °C with punctual pumping over and punching down. Over the next 16 months, the wine is aged in medium/high toasted French oak barrels and then completed and bottled, keeping the wine for 18 months before release.

Cottanera Syrah "Sole di Sesta" strikes the eye with its dark, dense ruby red, almost reminiscent of the soil from which it originates and originating in the activity of the Mountain, Etna. Chocolate and spicy notes of black pepper gently tingle the nose, cheered by aromas of ripe fruit such as blueberry and black currant and Mediterranean scrub. Carried to the palate, the perfectly integrated tannin pampers the mouth creating a rich sip with a full, warm taste. The tenacious freshness allows this Syrah to stay alive and taut throughout the tasting. "Sole di Sesta" is undoubtedly a wine that bears the signature of its land, yet it remains uncertain where in Dante's world the Supreme Poet would have reserved those who tasted this wine: in Hell in the circle of gluttons or just below the Empyrean? Probably somewhere in between.