Alcesti Isola Rosso Terre Siciliane, 2021

Grapes

Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese

Vintage report

Sicily's 2021 vintage arrived with the island's trademark intensity, though the year demanded patience from its vignerons. The growing season brought significant heat stress during summer months, pushing harvest dates earlier than many producers preferred and requiring careful canopy management to protect fruit from scorching. We find that the most successful wines came from growers who embraced night harvesting and those working with older vines whose deep roots could weather the challenging conditions.

What emerged were wines of concentrated character rather than finesse, with Nero d'Avola producing particularly muscular expressions that show the grape's ability to thrive under pressure. The indigenous white varieties fared better than expected, with Carricante from Etna's volcanic slopes maintaining remarkable freshness despite the challenging year. These aren't wines for immediate gratification – the reds especially benefit from another year or two in bottle to soften their powerful tannins, whilst the whites are drinking beautifully now and will hold well until 2027.