TASCA | Sallier de la Tour | La Monaca | Syrah | 2017
syrah

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Today we are going to review a quite unique wine – Tenuta Sallier de la Tour La Monaca Syrah 2017 by Tasca d’Almerita. In a world where bolder is better, syrah is the perfect choice, as it is darker and spicier than cabernet sauvignon and contains a high amount of health-invigorating antioxidants. Named after the historic winery, La Monaca is a wine that comes from special biotypes of syrah vines, that have shown unique adaptability to the Red Monreale D.O.C. in Sicily. This is the sicilian expression of the syrah variety, obtained from grapes that were sourced from vines planted in 2011 on sandy and limestone-rich soils, the wine is capable to showcase the expression of the delicate, local terroir as well as the varietal characteristics of the syrah grape variety. This particular wine has been aged for 14 months in french oak barrels and another 12 months in the bottle before being released to the public. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep ruby color
clarity: hazy indigo shades

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & savory
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red currant | cranberry
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: vegetal | spice | savory | earthy
__vegetal: wormwood | brown olive
__spice: red pepper | rosemary
__savory: iron | veal | leather | horse saddle
__earthy: sweet potato | brown soil | beetroot | loam | clay | mushroom | hints of forest floor
__wood: used & new / medium roast

//Palate
sweetness: bone dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: medium
__grip: green
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol & acidity
body: rough | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: savory
finish: medium+
aftertaste: seedy-green

//Scoring
TASCA | Sallier de la Tour | La Monaca | Syrah | 2017
variety: syrah
country: Italy
region: Sicilia | Monreale
rating: 92.3

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3-4 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Italy and, with a total of 92.3 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a fine and delicate syrah wine indeed: savory-vegetal, earthy and rustic – a wine that is still too youthful and one that needs time to round up, therefore this is a wine that requires 3 or 4 more years of bottle ageing. This is a rough and green wine that is made in a clear-cut old-world style, as it tastes seedy, with overwhelming acidity and a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel, that leads to a spicy finale. On the nose the wine displays a very appealing mixture of ripe red fruits, some savory-vegetal notes of brown olive and wormwood, and some very nuanced rustic flavours in the foreground (iron, leather and horse saddle just to name a few). This is definitely a wine that has both, distinctive personality and the footprint of the Monreale terroir. What this wine lacks today is a bit of harmony and finesse on the palate, nonetheless it feels quite similar to a Rhône syrah wine, which means it will improve with time.

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