Gulfi Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 2024

This organic Cerasuolo di Vittoria is dusty and floral in character with a mix of blackberries, violets and lavender on the nose. The 2024 vintage showcases a more structured and youthful wine with darker and riper black cherry fruit, soothing the palate with soft textures that usher in a pretty mix of red berries, minerals and spice. The slightest tannic presence lingers through the finish along with hints of licorice.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria (the cherries of Vittoria) is Sicily’s only DOCG and requires the native varietal blend to be at least 50-70% Nero d’Avola and the balance Frappato. Gulfi's offering is deftly balanced with 70% Nero d’Avola and 30% Frappato. Each of these varietals are very capable of making outstanding wines on their own merits. This blend is an easy drinking red, especially during the summer or fall months with a slight chill. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is an ample, but simple red wine with deep aromas of bright dark cherries and ripe berries and spicy floral violets and rose petals. This wine is a great example of how young wines can be excellent when they are terroir-driven. Refreshing and quenching with juicy raspberry and redolent ripe cherries with an underlying slight “dusty” minerality on the palate.

With four Grand Crus showing the peak of what Nero d'Avola can be, Gulfi is the winery that launched the varietal. Since 1996, Vito Catania produces wine from the grapes grown on his family’s estate, which is located in the commune of Chiaramonte Gulfi in the province of Ragusa. Driven by an innate passion for wine, Catania began a historical and viticulture research, in collaboration with Salvo Foti, to select the soils most suited for wine-growing in southern Sicily. The results of this research led the Gulfi estate to purchase more than 100 hectares of land planted with vines. The center of the estate is located in Val Canzeria, below the town of Chiaramonte Gulfi, about 500 meters above sea level, in the area of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes have been planted here, among the centennial olive groves in the Iblean hills, for generations.

The label art is a tribute to the land of Sicily. The ancient depiction of the famous mosaic found in the Piazza Armerina, in the province of Enna, tells the legend of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche (Beauty) who, out of envy from Venus, are forced to love each other in secret. This passion gives birth to a daughter called Voluptas (Pleasure). This represents a metaphor where Eros is Gulfi, whose love for his beautiful land (Psyche) gives birth to his wines, which are an expression of pure pleasure (Voluptus).