Scylla Nero d'Avola 2023

Story

Scylla was the legendary monster that lived opposite her counterpart Charybdis in the Strait of Messina, the channel of water between Calabria and Sicily – where Nero d’Avola originates. The idiom “between Scylla and Charybdis” has come to mean the lesser of two evils.

Tasting Note

Succulent, juicy and moreish. Violets, wild strawberry, fresh crushed and Amarena cherries, hints of amaretto and toasted almond. The linear yet succulent acid profile is enveloped in silky fleshed textures and very fine, granitic tannin layers, perfectly balancing the wine’s inherent fruit sweetness. The mouthwatering and delicious finish implores a return to the glass with length in spades.

Winemaking

Whole berry destemmed, 2 day cold soak and fermentation in 2 tonne open fermenters with twice daily pump overs throughout. Temperatures were kept cool, between 20 and 24˚C, to ensure the variety’s perfumed aromatics are retained. Natural malolactic fermentation and maturation in 100% seasoned French oak hogs head barrels for 11 months. The wine was kept on lees to build silk and flesh around the crisp acid backbone, before racking and light filtration prior to bottling. No finings were used.

Vineyard

Lopresti Ridgehaven Vineyard - Hahn Road, Sellicks Hill, McLaren Vale.

Located at the southern end of McLaren Vale between Sellicks Hill and Willunga on the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The site is defined by heavy clay loam soils with shattered gravel throughout the profile, over Christies Beach formation. A north-westerly aspect captures ample sunlight and warmth, encouraging soft and plush tannins, while cooling sea breezes and gully winds ensure cool nights to retain vibrancy and aromatics in the fruit.