Florio Marsala VR0510 Vergine Riserva 2010
(Sicily, Italy) - [JS 94]

About the Winery:
Founded in 1833 by Vincenzo Florio, the Florio Winery in Marsala looks out towards the bright sea of western, or “occidental,” Sicily. Made from the Trapani area, Grillo is a vine rich in history with characteristics that have given it the lead role in Marsala production. Marsala has been produced for more than 200 years, a famous Italian fortified wine named after the Sicilian city it belongs to. The birth of Marsala dates back to the late 1700s when John Woodhouse, a famous English merchant, arrived on the island and was "conquered" by wine, bringing back 60 casks. To keep the wine good over the course of his journey, he added brandy, and thus, Marsala was born. A consequence of the Continental Blockade in 1807, an embargo against British trade by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Marsala trade gained favor, and many English traders landed in Sicily to produce the famous wine. Vincenzo Florio himself founded his cellar in 1833, which over the years has become a predominant reference for the production of Marsala.

Currently, the Florio cellars house around 80% of Italy's production of the real Marsala, the basis of which starts almost exclusively from the Grillo grape. In the Trapani area, located on the coastline of western Sicily, are vineyards set in the sunny countryside chosen for their hillside position near the sea. After careful selection of the bunches in the field, the grapes arrive in the cellar where they are fermented in concrete tanks. At the end of fermentation, the fortification — or as Florio calls it, the "falling in love" — between alcohol and wine takes place. Using micro-oxygenation techniques, The Florio Winery contains varied kinds of oak that add personality and color to the maturing Marsala. Unexpected and original, it’s space, time, and oxygen that breathe life into the rich complexity of Florio wines.

About the Wine:

CULTIVATION
Bush-trained in the typical “alberello marsalese” method and/or low espalier trained, with a density of at least 4,000 plants per hectare. Manual harvest, starting in mid September, of over-ripened grapes that are left on the vine so that they become fully ripe and high in residual sugars and polyphenols.

VINIFICATION
Powerful extraction forces come into play through the use of the traditional wine press to create musts loaded with color, high dry extracts, and intense savory marine notes. Fermentation in cement, marked by continuous micro-oxygenation, which carries on even after fermentation.

AGING
Aged in small oak cask for 13 years.

TASTING NOTES
Fresh and vibrant, it delights the nose with notes of broom flowers and sweet and savory contrasts that evoke the organoleptic power of caper flowers.

Ratings & Reviews

94 Points - James Suckling:
"This is rich but elegant with candied tropical fruit, caramel, dried lemons and saffron notes. Dry and salty on the palate with a sleek, polished texture. Attractive zesty bitterness at the end with yeasty undertones. Long and tense. Matured in oak casks for 12 years. Drink or hold."  (Sep 2023)