Planeta Maroccoli Syrah Sicilia Menfi DOC 2015
(Sicily, Italy) - [JS 93] [WA 93] [VM 92] [WS 91]

About the Winery:
Planeta’s journey began at Sambuca di Sicilia, on the estate owned by the family since the 1600s. Here, three enthusiastic young Sicilians, Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta, under the guidance of Diego Planeta, began their winemaking venture in the mid-1980s. Subsequent years were spent matching the extraordinarily diverse Sicilian soils with both indigenous and international varieties. Planeta today encompasses six distinct wine estates in five regions across Sicily; Ulmo at Sambuca di Sicilia, Dispensa at Menfi, Dorilli at Vittoria, Buonivini at Noto, Sciara Nuova on Etna at Castiglione di Sicilia, and the newest addition, La Baronia at Capo Milazzo. Each vineyard site is carefully cultivated with grapes that best compliment the local terroir.

About the Wine:
Syrah is a noble Mediterranean grape variety which gives the best of itself in bright dry places like our Sicily. Because of this we have a great belief in the future of this variety in our island. From an extraordinary vine, Maroccoli at about 400 metres, in an unpolluted place, produces an interpretation of Syrah in a modern key while respecting the characteristics of the variety. Powerful and imposing, this is a wine for long aging.

Tasting Notes:
Sweet spices and a fleeting recall of toasted cocoa accompany the wine in all its tasting processes, now providing hints of sun-ripened black fruit, now with more wintery notes of leather and humus. An enveloping sensation recalls the consistency of velvet with a minty and black pepper finish.

Technical Information

Appellation: Menfi DOC
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Region: Sicily
Vineyard: Maroccoli
Vineyard altitude: 370 meters above sea level
Vine training method: espalier with spurred cordon pruning system.
Vinification: The Syrah grapes produced in the Maroccoli vineyards are gathered by hand into 15 kg crates and immediately transported to the winery where they are pressed and destemmed, then the must is placed in stainless steel vats where the alcoholic fermentation begins. The grapes are agitated twice a day with very short pumping – between 12 and 18 minutes – according to the phase of fermentation, so as to protect the skins and enhance the complexity of the wine. The fermentation lasts 5/7 days, with the temperature during the first phases maintained at around 14-15 °C, during the second phase at 20-22 °C and finally, when approaching the finish, at 25-27 °C when refrigeration is suspended. Once the fermentation is complete, the tanks are filled with wine from the same vines, to proceed with maceration of 18-20 days with the skins in contact with the wine, and decanted at the finish. During the twelve days of maceration the temperature is maintained at about 20-22 °C to favour the dissolution of O² in small parts - through microoxygenation – so as to improve the structure and stability of the anthocyanins.

Alcohol: 14.6%

Ratings & Reviews

93 Points - James Suckling:
"The overlay of dried violets, lavender and spices works very well with the more overt vanilla and tar notes. Soft and plummy with ripe tannins and plenty of concentration, but there's a fine line of bright acidity within the texture. Drink now." - (November 2019)

93 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Syrah and Sicily are two peas in a pod, and the 2015 Menfi Syrah Maroccoli affirms this fact with exuberant precision and charm. This wine is packed tight with dark fruit, tobacco, spice, bacon fat and even a touch of bitter chocolate. Both Syrah and Sicily love the sunshine and the summer heat, and luckily, both of these things were delivered with abundance in this happy vintage." - Monica Larner (October 2019)

92 Points - Vinous:
"The 2015 Syrah Maroccoli makes the case for Syrah grown on the southernmost tip of Sicily. This is dark, brooding and earthy in the glass, with notes of dark chocolate, peppery herbs and hints of tobacco. It leans more toward savory than sweet, as black fruits, exotic spices and minerals settle in. Grippy tannins slowly sneak in and clench the senses with youthful poise. Consider me a fan." - Eric Guido (April 2021)

91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"An enticing red, with an expressive range of pureed black cherry and mulberry fruit flavors that show accents of black licorice, tea rose and sweet smoke. Chewy tannins and fresh acidity are well-integrated, lending weight and definition to this harmonious version. Syrah. Drink now through 2026. 1,400 cases made, 105 cases imported." - Alison Napjus (October 2021)