2022 COS Cerasuolo Di Vittoria Classico

Cherry, dried roses, black pepper, licorice, and dried herbs with silky tannins, bright acidity, and a persistent mineral finish — medium-bodied, earthy, and almost Burgundian in its transparency. 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato, co-fermented in buried terracotta amphorae inspired by ancient Georgian qvevri — COS started using these clay vessels in 2000, long before it was trendy. Aged further in large oak. Certified organic since 2007, biodynamic farming. Estimated 3,000-5,000 cases produced. This is Sicily's only DOCG, and "Classico" means the grapes come from the original inner zone — roughly 255 hectares between the towns of Acate and Vittoria. "Cerasuolo" comes from cerasa, the Sicilian word for cherry, and you taste exactly that. Same three friends since 1980. Their benchmark wine, and the bottle that put southeastern Sicily on the map.