TASCA | Tenuta Regaleali | Lamùri | Nero d’Avola | 2018
nero d’avola

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Today we are going to review a wine that we were eager to try for quite some time – single varietal nero d’avola wine from Sicily – Tenuta Regaleali Lamùri Nero d’Avola 2018 by Tasca d’Almerita. Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most important red wine grape, also known as Calabrese, often likened to Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah due to its full-bodied style and reminiscent flavors of black fruits and tobacco. Nero d’Avola is a hot climate grape variety, most often dry-farmed. In Sicily, many of the oldest Nero d’Avola vineyards are Alberello-pruned or head-trained close to the ground, so that it can resist to hot winds that are blowing throughout the island. Stylistically, there are two winemaking ideologies of Nero d’Avola vinification: one is a more fruit-forward, opulent and black-fruit driven style, enhanced by coffee and chocolate flavors derived from oak aging, while the other style is much leaner and more elegant with vibrant red fruit flavors, herbal notes and very little oak aging (if any at all). This particular wine is a bit of both, made out of grapes that were grown on high-altitude hills (between 450 and 750-meters) and aged for 12 months in french oak barrels of different ages (Allier and Tronçais barriques, of which 20% were new and 80% were at second and third fill), displaying vibrant red fruits and a nuanced savory accent. 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: medium-deep ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & savory
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: red currant | cranberry | goji berry | wolfberry | red plum | pomegranate
fruit character: ripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | savory | earthy
__spice: red pepper | cloves
__savory: brown olive | soy sauce | leather | iron | veal
__earthy: clay | loam | marl | brown soil | forest floor | mushroom | truffle
primary layer: fruit | oak | savory | earthy | herbaceous

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: medium+
tannin: medium
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: none
body: supple | medium body

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: ripe
non fruit: savory & earthy
finish: medium
aftertaste: appealingly-crisp

//Scoring
TASCA | Tenuta Regaleali | Lamùri | Nero d’Avola | 2018
variety: nero d’avola
country: Italy
region: Sicilia
rating: 92.7

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | drink now or within the next 2 years
verdict: fine | highly recommended

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 89

//RP Rating
actual RP rating: 89

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 92

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This is definitely a fine wine of Italy and, with a total of 92.7 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 very lean and delicate nero d’avola wine: supple, round and savory-earthy, with a crisp and ample mouthfeel – a wine that is still developing, but quite close to its apogée, thus one that can be enjoyed today or within the next 2 years, just keep in mind that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the palate the wine displays mouth-watering acidity, seedy tannins and just a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel. On the nose the wine delivers a nuanced savory accent, mixed with vibrant red fruits in the foreground, supported by a delicate, earthy background and a very subtle, spicy-rustic layer in between the two. All in all, this is a quite fine and voluptuous wine that feels well balanced and nicely structured, with a very nuanced, savory-earthy accent and an extremely-appealing, terroir-driven delicacy. What this wine lacks today is maybe just a bit of structure on the palate, as overall, this is a wine that has both, its own distinctive personality and the footprint of the sicilian terroir. Judging by the wine’s structure and flavour profile, we would recommend to pair it with naturally-flavoured, delicate meats, like for example Tournedos Rossini or peppercorn-crusted filet mignon with wild mushrooms. Cheers!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.