Winemaker Vito Lauria’s operation in Alcamo, on the western tip of Sicily, is dedicated to indigenous Sicilian varieties, simple, straightforward winemaking, and organic farming. The wines are exactly what you would expect from this sort of production, they are pure, rustic in all the good ways, and always offer the unadorned character of traditional Sicilian wine. In the case of this everyday Nero d’Avola, that means rich fruity aromas of plum punch, burnt orange peel, dried strawberry and vanilla spice. The palate is delightfully full bodied, packed with fruit-pie like notes of plum and spice cake, orange and dusty earth woven through tannins that build slowly with repeated sipping. The finish lingers with notes of dried fruit, savory spice and underbrush. No oak was harmed in the production of this wine, and the fruit comes through from nose to finish clear and bright, despite substantial texture. This is a rich wine for food that comes out of the oven or out of a large pot after a long simmer.