Feudo Montoni Vrucara Nero d'Avola 2012

This is Feudo Montoni's grand achievement and the results are inspiring for what was a challenging vintage. The 2012 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is still labeled as an IGT Sicilia wine despite the fact that the denomination labeling has since changed. No matter, it lives up to its well-deserved reputation. This is a full-bodied and generous expression of Nero d'Avola that offers a thick load of dark fruit with plenty of Maraschino cherry and blackberry preserves. My only hesitation concerns the evident oak that still needs time to integrate. Given the generous textural richness and the beautifully polished tannins, I have no doubt that those spicy oak tones will tone down with a year or two of extra cellar aging. Fruit is sourced from pre-phylloxera 80 and 90-year-old vines. Score - 93. (Monica Larner, robertparker.com, Aug. 30, 2016)