2006 Brown Brothers Nero d'Avola Cellar Door Release Heathcote

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  5/24/2011 - Kev_ wrote:

  Brown Brother's notes:
  THE WINE
  To highlight our commitment to experimenting with unique varietals and our thirst for understanding our consumers better, we have invested in a wine from southern Italy which we think will suit the climatic conditions of Victoria. On the island of Sicily, Nero d’Avola is the most important red grape and produces wines of intensity and savoury flavours. It has only been in the last 20 years that the producers of this variety have focused on quality as opposed to quantity and it was the quality examples of the variety that heightened our interest in pursuing this wine. At our Heathcote vineyard we have a small experimental crop of Nero d’Avola and, should the wine prove popular at Cellar Door, we will look to produce our own in the coming years.
  
  In the glass the wine shows a deep red brick colour. This savoury wine is full of dried herbs, spice and dark berry fruit flavours. On the palate the dark berry flavours are immediately recognisable and quickly combine with the earth savoury characters that define good Nero d’Avola. This wine is best enjoyed within 4 years of vintage.
  
  THE GRAPE VARIETY
  Nero d'Avola is the most important red wine grape in Sicily, and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily and its wines are compared to New World Shiraz, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavours. It also contributes to Marsala blends. The Black Grape of Avola appears to have been selected by growers near Avola several hundred years ago. Initially it was confined to the southern tip of Sicily, but more recently has spread throughout the island. Its parentage is uncertain - it may or may not be related to Syrah, which some people claim is named after Syracuse. There are no significant plantings outside Sicily.
  
  TECHNICAL INFORMATION
  The Nero d’Avola grapes used to make this wine were grown on the island of Sicily in the south of Italy. The fruit was harvested from late September to early October 2006 at baumé levels ranging from 12.5° to 13.0°. The wine was completed with an alcohol of 13.0%, a pH of 3.5 and an acid level of 5.8 g/L.
  
  SERVING SUGGESTIONS
  This wine would be perfect with a rich cassoulet filled with beans and Italian sausage. Or try it with a rich tomato based pasta with black olives, basil and shaved parmesan.

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