Vigneti Zabù, ‘Il Passo’ Nerello Mascalese

Vigneti Zabù, in southern Sicily, is part of the Fantini group, founded by Valentino Sciotti in 1994 to produce top-quality wine from southern Italy. In 2005, Valentino and his and Sicilian winemaker Giuseppe Alfano Burruano planted their own vineyards on the hills around Lake Arancio, in Sambuca di Sicilia. Here, the untouched landscape boasts many ancient vineyards and proximity to the lake creates a perfect microclimate for grape growing. Their vines are planted at 400 metres above sea level on clay soils with good water retention capacity, which helps sustain the vines through Sicily’s hot summers. Today, these vines continue to flourish, lending themselves to attractive, drinkable wines.

This wine is bright ruby red in colour. On the nose, there are intense aromas of red fruits, combined with spicy notes of coffee and chocolate. On the palate, it is vibrant and well balanced with soft tannins and a long, silky finish.