Mazzei Zisola Nero d’Avola Sicilia Noto Rosso DOC

Description

Mazzei Zisola Nero d’Avola is a Sicilian red wine made on Mazzei’s Zisola Estate located approximately 1km from the town of Noto in South East Sicily. Nero d’Avola is arguably Sicily’s most famous indigenous red grape, where it thrives in the region’s warm and sunny climate.

Zisola Wines by Mazzei

Zisola Wines is owned by Mazzei Family Wines, who are probably more famous for their Tuscan wines, including their Chianti wines from Castello di Fonterutoli. The company purchased the estate in 2003 and has invested a significant amount of money in bringing this Sicilian wine estate up to its high standards. The Zisola winery is equipped with temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with a total capacity of 1,000 hectoliters for fermentation, and 350 French oak barriques for ageing.

Zisola Vineyards

The estate consists of some 50 hectares with around 24 hectares of vineyards – the rest is set aside for growing olives, citrus fruit and almonds. The vineyards are located at a height of 130 above sea level and are characterised by medium-textured soils, strongly calcareous with a rich backbone. The vineyards are planted with Nero d’Avola, Syrah and Petit Verdot for the red wines and Grillo and Catarratto for the white wines.

Vines Planted “Alberello”

The vines are planted using the “alberello” method, a free-standing bush vine system commonly used in southern Italy and the islands. The vines are kept small and untrellised, which suits the poor soils and low rainfall of the region.

A combination of long warm summers, which enable the grapes to ripen fully, combined with cooling sea breezes, allows aromatics to develop, ensuring that healthy and fully ripened grapes are grown. Nero d’Avola tolerates the hot and dry climates well.

Mazzei Zisola Nero d’Avola Winemaking

• The grapes for the Mazzei Zisola Nero d’Avola Sicilia are hand-harvested.
• Grapes are gently pressed.
• Maceration lasts for approximately 14–16 days.
• Fermentation takes place at 26–28°C.
• The wine is aged for 10 months in 225-litre barriques, 33% of which are new.