Take Heed, Terroir Lovers

Today’s Story: Azienda Agricola COS

Azienda Agricola COS is a revered wine estate established in 1980 in Vittoria on the Italian island of Sicily. COS was established by three friends, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti, and Cirino Strano, with the first letter of their last names creating the acronym of COS for which the project is named. COS is largely considered a pioneer and champion for Sicilian wines, namely seeking to prove that world-class and high-quality wines can come from the island. COS farms all of their vineyards adhering to organic and biodynamic principles, and they have never used synthetic or chemical fertilizers throughout the life of the venture. This philosophy carries over into the cellar as well, where the wines are made as naturally as possible. For instance, COS is an adopter of clay amphorae dug into the ground for aging because Occhipinti believes them to be a vessel that doesn’t mask any terroir-driven element of the wines. For any bottlings that do not age in amphorae, they use large neutral Slavonian oak botti or concrete tanks to similar effect. All wines see extended maceration, including the whites, which Occhipinti uses as natural preservative so zero sulphur needs to be added during winemaking and at most a minimal dose is added at bottling.

Today’s Wine: 2014 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico delle Fontane

60% Nero d’Avola, 40% Frappato; 13% ABV

The 2014 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico delle Fontane is medium garnet in color. I elected not to decant this wine because it seemed fairly expressive out of the bottle, though it did really open up after about 30 minutes in the glass. The aromas are of pronounced intensity and the nose is rather complex, showcasing notes of dried cherry, strawberry, red plum, anise, a hint of brett, leather, forest floor, green herbs, eucalyptus, and crushed volcanic rock. The flavors are also of pronounced intensity and the palate is equally complex, displaying notes of black raspberry, tart cherry, red plum, licorice, brett, cured meat, damp tobacco, truffle, forest floor, and mineral. This dry red is medium-bodied with high acidity, medium (+) dusty tannins, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Though there is fruit, this is so terroir-driven you can practically smell and taste the earth where these grapes grow.

Price: $45. For me, this is a great value wine but I love the terroir-driven profile of it. This strikes me as a wine people would either love or hate, and I would encourage the jammy-fruit-bomb lovers to look elsewhere unless you are looking to expand your horizons. This wine’s intensity, complexity, and transparent sense of place are all remarkable to me and I would highly suggest trying this if the profile seems to fit your palate.