Contrada nero d'avola 2019 (COS)

Cellar for up to 11 years. No need to decant before serving. COS was founded in 1980 by three young winemakers and schoolfriends, Giambattista Cilia, Cirino Strano and Giusto Occhipinti. Family roots in south-eastern Sicily made this the ideal place for their new project, making delicious wines in harmony with nature. The winery uses biodynamic agricultural practices and minimal intervention winemaking to allow the beauty of the local terroir and grape varieties to shine through. This magnificent Nero d’Avola is crafted from 50 year old vines planted on prime calcareous and clay soils in Bastonaca. The grapes are carefully harvested by hand and fermented using wild yeasts occurring naturally on the grape skins and in the air. The young wine is then aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months followed by another 2-3 years of ageing in the bottle. Bursting with ripe cassis, licorice and cigar box spice, this is a powerful and robust Sicilian red that boasts a generous full body, firm tannins and a long, structured finish. On the palate there are intense notes of crushed blackberries, plums and cherries with deeper undertones of dried herbs, baked earth, leather and smoked meat thanks to the extended ageing. A fantastic wine to cellar for another decade or so, or to enjoy now with charcuterie, hearty game dishes, or a prime ribeye steak.