Cusumano Sàgana Nero d’Avola Sicilia 2006

Cusumano Sàgana Nero d’Avola makes a profound statement in every vintage and at any age. It is such a deeply colored red wine that it comes across as opaque and black as it steeps in the glass. Stoic and reticent upon first meeting, the 2006 Cusumano Sàgana appears to capture the brooding, often tempestuous pulse of Sicily itself, but thankfully appearances can be deceiving. Sàgana holds a wealth of luxuriant, hedonistic fruit in its beguiling bouquet. It offers up scents reminiscent of ripe summer blackberries, plums, Mediterranean herbs, and oriental spices to fill the senses. This aromatic cavalcade is followed by a wellspring of smooth rich flavors that expand in the mouth and explode in the wine’s long, lush finish with a flurry of fruit, spice, and vanilla oak. A stunning combination of power and seduction, Sàgana offers the taster a true meditative experience as well as a glimpse of the oenological renaissance that is now sweeping Sicily – the Mediterranean’s most majestic island. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest serving the 2006 Cusumano Sàgana at cool room temperature (60°-65° F), but only after allowing it an hour or more to breathe. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2015. Salute!

For those in search of a full-bodied wine of profound flavor and power, the 2006 Sàgana will provide a true meditative experience given additional bottle age or the requisite aeration that all the great red wines of Italy seem to crave. Yet, Sàgana at any age is a natural companion to classic Sicilian and Southern Italian specialties as well as fine cuts of meat and complex sauces. Thick slices of Sicilian pizza, topped with black olives, fresh tomatoes, and thin slices of pepperoni provide a simple but satisfying backdrop to Sàgana. Eggplant Parmigiana, lasagna, manicotti, and homemade pastas, served with crusty bread and a heady tomato sauce, provide other simple but delectable choices with Cusumano’s flagship offering. Veal Marsala; roast pork tenderloin, rubbed with an olive and artichoke tapenade; and grilled rib eye, topped with martini olive butter, pair magnificently with this wine, too.For more elaborate fare, beef or lamb Osso Bucco gets our nod, but so do some of Italy’s finest Pecorino cheeses. A glass of Sàgana and hunk of hard, aged cheese can be a transformative experience. Enjoy!

Cusumano is one of Sicily’s most exciting wineries. It is a family owned estate that is run with extraordinary precision by brothers Alberto and Diego Cusumano. They took over the management of the estate from their father Francesco in 2001. Since that time the winery has expanded and the quality of Cusumano’s wines has skyrocketed. We have been following the meteoric success of this estate since its inception and believe the Cusumano brothers are, indeed, on to something special, with both their red and white wines. In short, these two brothers have been performing magical feats with a variety of classic and indigenous varietals from more than half a dozen vineyards they own throughout Sicily. With a passion for terroir and the production of authentic expressions of Sicily’s rich viticultural heritage, the Cusumano brothers have set about acquiring numerous vineyards in the western and southern regions of the Mediterranean’s largest island in order to offer the world a glimpse of what Sicily has to offer. The brothers have also reconstructed a 19th century family farmstead to handle modern wine production. Cusumano’s handsome new facility, which was completed only in 2003, houses everything from the winery’s offices to a new underground barrique cellar for aging wine – a novel undertaking in Sicily. The Cusumano brothers fashion a myriad of red wines that center around Syrah and the indigenous varietal Nero d’Avola. They also make one of Sicily’s finest white wines from the elegant and distinctive Insolia vine, an indigenous white Sicilian varietal that produces hauntingly beautiful wine. Although successful across their entire wine portfolio, the Cusumano brothers’ most profound offering is always Sàgana, a special proprietary bottling of the finest Nero d’Avola.