Firriato Santagostino Rosso Baglio Sorìa 2018

$26.99

Only 11 left!

Alcohol: 14,35%

Grape(s): Nero d’Avola, Syrah

Localization: Sicily, Italy

Tasting Notes: The Baglio Sorìa Estate is home to one of Firriato’s oenological treasures—a quintessentially Sicilian red that has seduced wine lovers the world over with its pleasing complexity and its perfect balance between freshness and alcohol content. Rich in fruitiness and elegance it is a pioneering Sicilian blend of international and native grape varieties.

Notes: The terroir in which it grows, its proximity to the coast, and the prevalence of clay and red marl in its soil contribute to creating climate and soil conditions that are unique in the agricultural setting of western Sicily. Santagostino Baglio Sorìa Rosso is the fruit of this uniqueness, remaining true to itself over more than thirty vintages. Harvest after harvest, it proves to be the emblematic symbol of Firriato’s oenological style with its impenetrable ruby red color, releasing elegant nuances and velvety tannins in the glass.

The DomainThis agricultural estate of 110 hectares, located just a short distance away from Trapani in the western part of Sicily, is where the Di Gaetano family’s great dream began in the 1980s. This is one of the most authentic and charming parts of Sicily, where the vineyards are harmoniously integrated with the breathtaking natural setting at the borders of the nature reserve of the Trapani and Paceco salt pans.

The Sicilian countryside at the Baglio Sorìa Estate is cloaked in the expertise of viticulture which has its roots deep in history. The well-ventilated, hillside terrain composed of clay and red marl is predominantly south-facing. Here, the wind currents, solar radiation, and the role of temperature form an extremely particular mix which causes a rather interesting complex of soil and climate conditions. The range of vine varieties is exceptionally rich comprising both native vines such as Nero d’Avola and international varieties from Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot. It is right here, at Baglio Sorìa, that the Di Gaetano Family’s dream first took root. Their historic labels of Camelot and Santagostino are testimony of that. In these testing soils, just a few kilometers from Mount Erice where the mysterious population of the Elymians (one of the first to reach Sicily) lived in ancient times, precision viticulture is practiced. It is viticulture where the experience-driven management at the heart of the vineyard assumes a highly specialized level of know-how. As in the nearby Egadi islands, the sun burns strongly here and every single bunch of grapes requires personal and meticulous care. In order for the leaves to be able to protect the fruit so that it reaches perfect polyphenolic maturity, surgically-precise pruning is necessary. In 2015, Firriato opened the Baglio Sorìa Resort & Wine Experience within the old 17th-century Baglio: it is an oasis on the Via del Sale (the Salt Road).

The beating heart of Firriato’s production is at Baglio Sorìa. It is in these vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean sea that Sicilian native vine varieties of Nero d’Avola and Catarratto find the best soil conditions alongside international vines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Syrah. The vine varieties grow side by side in a unique agricultural setting which fully embodies Firriato’s philosophy: to value and promote the uniqueness and individuality of every single variety in order to guarantee the utmost quality of the wines produced from these grapes. Baglio Sorìa, of all the Di Gaetano family estates, is undoubtedly the most charming.

The soil at Baglio Sorìa is characterized by a high level of mineral content which ensures and guarantees a good soil structure. Both the red and white vine varieties have the perfect conditions for producing great wines. The estate represents a unique set of circumstances on the Sicilian hillside viticulture scene.

The richness of the Estate is such that Firriato has given some land over to the cultivation of olive trees, as ever strictly certified organic. Cerasuola and Nocellara are the regional endemic cultivars. Picked by hand, the olives are combined to produce an unfiltered, cold maceration extra-virgin olive oil.