Valle dell'Acate 2018 'Zagra' Grillo, Sicilia Bianco DOC

Valle dell'Acate 2018 'Zagra' Grillo, Sicilia Bianco DOC

Item Number: 13128

UPC: 8-002621000102

Country: Italy
Region: Sicily
Sub Region: Ragusa
Appellation/AVA: Sicilia DOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2018
Grape(s): 100% Grillo
Type: Wine - White
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Sandy and clay

Aging: Zagra Grillo ages for 4 months in steel tanks and at least 4 months in bottle.

Tasting Notes: Zagra Grillo is sourced from vineyards located along the coast, where the soil has a sandy-clay structure. The soil is relatively light, imbuing the wines with freshness and complex scents. The bouquet is complex with distinctive aromas of white flowers and minerals. The wine has great structure and persistence with strong flavor and acidity. It is reminiscent of a very expressive Pinot Gris. Try this wine with seafood, fried fish, vegetables, tempura dishes, and other starters.

About the Valle dell'Acate: Today, the wine estate is run by Gaetana Jacono, representing the sixth generation. With the same love that tied her ancestors to the vines, along with marked entrepreneurial insight, Gaetana has devoted herself to the production of Sicilian DOC and IGT wines - a production that has earned great recognition on the international scene.

About Sicily: With its intense southern sunshine, Sicily’s wines are deep-colored and high-strength. For much of the century, the focus was on quantity, but the nineties brought a shift toward quality, and more investment from the north. And it’s a boon for everyone that the wines have begun living up to their potential: with mountainous terrain and poor (i.e., vine-friendly) soil, intense summer heat, and low rainfall, their potential is legion. Add to the mix a range of native grapes with real personality–Catarrato, Inzolia, Grillo, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Perricone, and Nerello Mascalese–and you have a unique wine producing region that is making huge strides on the international scene. DOC (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata) wines are less common than the IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica).

2017 Valle dell'Acate Zagra Grillo featured in The New York Times article "20 Wines Under $20: Plenty of Variety and Not One Chardonnay" by Eric Asimov
"In recent years, I have seen more dry whites made from grillo, a grape once known as the backbone of sweet Marsala or for making big, blousy dry wines. This one — from various coastal vineyards in eastern Sicily — is young, fresh, floral and refreshing, with lingering earthy notes. Delightful."

Reviews

  • Vinous
    Rating: 87 (8/6/2019)
    Easygoing aromas and flavors of apple and herbs, but perhaps a touch dilute. Nicely pliant on the rather simple, medium-long finish.
  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 89 (10/17/2019)
    Here's a pretty white wine that is redolent of white flowers and jasmine, but it also has more substantial honey-like aromas that make it a good pairing partner to a platter of grilled fish in herbs and lemon sauce. The 2018 Sicilia Grillo Zagra is a lean Sicilian white with extra volume at the back. The wine never sees oak, in order to achieve that lean, snappy style.