2021 Cantine Grasso Nero d'Avola 'Sette Aje'

100% Nero d’Avola, farmed organically (uncertified) from vineyards in north eastern Sicily near Milazzo. Hand harvested, fermented and aged simply in stainless steel.  13.5% alcohol. 

Aromas of dark cherry, ripe plum, blood orange rind, and a whisper of cocoa and anise. The palate is juicy yet upright: sweet-spot fruit in the middle, fine tea-like tannins, and a saline, stony close. With air, the herbal register deepens—bay leaf, fennel seed, a touch of savory spice—without getting heavy. This Nero d’Avola is a great example: generous but not heavy, savory without rustic edges, and bright enough to keep plates moving.

Founded in 1887, five generations have farmed these vineyards in Milazzo of northeast Sicily. Today, Alessio, along with his sons Tullio and Carmelo, passionately remain committed to preserving tradition and skill, while utilizing sustainable practices and modern methods to produce quality wines consistently from year to year. All grapes are grown organically without chemical treatments and only vegetal fertilizers are used in the vineyards. The light and warmth of the Sicilian sun, together with the light coastal breeze and the beneficial temperature ranges, allow grapes to gradually ripen up to the moment of hand-harvesting, giving the wines pleasantly rounded notes and full expression. Under the Feudo Solaria label they bottle clean, expressive Sicilia wines with a light hand in the cellar and a focus on clarity of fruit and place. What we admire is the house philosophy: organic farming principles, stainless-steel fermentations for purity, and oak used as an accent—if at all—rather than a costume. The aim isn’t “big”; it’s “true.”