Since the earliest days of SommSelect, we’ve been beating the drum about Chiara Vigo’s truly breathtaking property, Romeo del Castello, and her superlative red wines. These are some of the most delicious, cellar-worthy, and consistently mind-blowing red wines bottled in Sicily.
And some of the biggest names in the wine press have added to the deafening and well-deserved chorus of praise. After the New York Times’ Eric Asimov penned a fascinating piece last year and several other prominent critics chimed in, the word is now officially out about Romeo del Castello. Fortunately, we have been supporting this minuscule, family-owned property since before the hype, and thus enjoyed “first dibs” on the mere 32 cases that arrived on the West Coast this year.
One of the most gratifying aspects of our work is sharing rare and hard-to-find bottlings with customers who might otherwise not have access to them. We believe the world’s great wines should be enjoyed by everyone. Romeo del Castello is a breathtaking, ancient vineyard on Sicily’s Mount Etna—in Burgundy this would undoubtedly be a Grand Cru. The estate’s “Vigo” cuvée is one of the most deep and soul-stirring reds in the region. The only problem is, “Vigo” is very, very limited. Over the years, I’ve encountered just a few bottles of this rare gem, but only on top restaurant wine lists and never in retail stores. So, while we don’t have much to offer today, please take our word that this bottle is a classic, and easily one of the finest reds produced in southern Italy.
To walk the vineyards at Romeo del Castello is to step back in time. This is one of the most picturesque and memorable small family estates in Italy. Clinging thousands of feet high up on Sicily’s Mount Etna—a still-active volcano—an appropriately brilliant and beautiful young woman, Chiara Vigo, tends to her family’s 100+ year old oak trees and grapevines. There is even a gnarled old olive tree that is over 1,000 years old. These ancient relics are made all the more impressive when one realizes that the property sits dead center in Mount Etna’s lava flow. In the 1980s, a particularly destructive eruption tore through the family’s property and wiped out 65% of the vineyards, leaving only ash and hardened lava. Fortunately, a few acres of the family’s oldest Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines were spared. Even more miraculously, in recent years some of the vines which were covered in lava have regenerated from the roots, re-emerged through the solid volcanic layer and are once again producing grapes! It is no wonder that a wine this spectacular is born in a vineyard with such an inspiring story.
Tucked between tentacles of hardened lava, the century-old vines that remain at this vineyard site are farmed with fanatical care and attention to detail. Chiara uses no herbicides or pesticides, ever, and she nurtures these vines into their twilight years with only organic methods and fertilizers. This is a pristine and visually stunning vineyard site that deserves to be mentioned alongside the great crus of the world. In the cellar, Chiara employs a masterful and light touch. Fermentation on skins is carried out in stainless steel tanks for 12 days before aging in 225 liter neutral French oak barrels. There is no filtering, and a trace amount of sulfites are added only at bottling in some vintages—and in other particularly outstanding years, the wine does not see the addition of sulfites, at all. This is as pure as winemaking can get and the results of Chiara’s confident and informed cellar skills are nothing short of stunning.
Chiara Vigo always bottles exceptional Etna reds, but we feel like this 2013 is a particularly special vintage. The “Vigo” bottling is always her boldest, deepest and most impressive red, but there’s a little something extra this year. The fruit is more plump and fleshy, tannins are more finely grained, and the finish is infinite. It’s a gorgeous wine, and just as beautiful in the glass with a luminescent crimson and blood orange center proceeding to garnet reflections on the rim. I’ve enjoyed bottles of Vigo from the mid-2000s and can attest that it ages with grace and ever evolving sophistication. While Nerello Mascalese-based reds sometimes become brittle with age, Vigo only seems to grow more expressive and aromatic. I advise decanting this bottle for one hour and serving at 60-65 degrees in large Burgundy stems. Given the scarcity of this wine, I’d also urge you to share it with friends. Sometimes it’s challenging to find an appropriate culinary context for full-bodied reds in late August, but I deeply enjoyed a bottle of Vigo recently with an heirloom tomato salad, roasted potatoes and
this perfectly simple roasted lamb loin. I recommend you give it a shot!
