Wine Advocate – December 28, 2018, Issue 240

“Italy, Sicily: New Releases,” Monica Larner reviews Sicilian wines, including:

MORGANTE “Don Antonio” Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC Riserva 2015 – 92 points
“The 2015 Sicilia Nero d’Avola Riserva Don Antonio delivers an explosive bouquet that is comprised of equal parts dark fruit, spice and savory tobacco. This wine sees 20 days of fermentation on the skins and finishes up with malolactic fermentation in steel vats. It then ages in French barrique for 12 months. It’s a standard winemaking approach for an exceptional expression of Sicily’s most important red grape. This is a medium to full-bodied red with ample texture and roundness on the finish.”

MORGANTE Bianco di Morgante Sicilia IGT 2017 – 88 points
“This is a red grape (Nero d’Avola) fermented off the skins to make a white wine. The 2017 Bianco di Morgante shows that ghostly white appearance that you always get with this unique winemaking process. These wines tend to show even less color than your lightest white wine made from white grapes (that always have some color pigment to impart off the skins). This pretty wine offers attractive aromas of stone peach and natural rubber. There is a shiny, almost glossy quality to the wine. It shows a lean mouthful with bright acidity and freshness.”

MORGANTE Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC 2016 – 88 points
“Here’s a solid entry-level red offered at an unbeatable low price. The mid-weight 2016 Sicilia Nero d’Avola shows a steady and clean delivery of red cherry and berry aromas with light spice, cola and green olive. There is a point of sour fruit on the finish that is characteristic of Nero d’Avola.”