Product Description
94+ points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"This is one of Sicily's iconic red wines. The 2015 Noto Santa Cecilia shows a new change of clothes with this vintage. I was immediately struck by the direct and chiseled quality of the bouquet that makes a break from some of the heavier and more extracted aromas of the past. The aromas are bright and buoyant with ruby cherry followed by crème de cassis and dried cranberry. I love the way those perfumes caress and embrace the senses. The mouthfeel is perhaps less impactful in terms of length. It does show elegantly integrated tannins and fresh acidity, but I wish it lasted longer. This new and beautiful vintage of Santa Cecilia opens a new chapter, and I can't wait to try future releases."
94 points Decanter
"A rich yet elegant Nero d’Avola, which never fails to deliver. Smoke, dried rose petals, nutmeg and warm spices punctuate this richly flavoured wine, balanced by fresh acidity and velvety tannins. Smooth, harmonious and beautifully balanced."
94 points Wine Enthusiast
"Enticing scents of wild berry, blue flower, exotic spice and Mediterranean scrub shape the nose. Elegantly structured, the polished palate delivers blackberry, black cherry, licorice and crushed mint alongside a backbone of smooth, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2022–2035."
93 points James Suckling
"Sour-cherry and lemon-rind character throughout here. Medium to full body. Round and ripe tannins. Pure nero d’avola. Drink now."
Vinous Reverie Notes
Santa Cecilia is our highlight from the most important Sicilian grape variety, Nero d’Avola. Our long research into finding the best place to produce a great wine from this grape brought us to Noto, where the DOC Noto insists that the variety originates, at the southern extremity of Sicily. With its white soils and its ancient vines this is the epicentre of cultivation for Nero d’Avola. Santa Cecilia is an expression of elegance, power, balance and eminence of the unique aromas of Sicily, and today is the reference point for red wines produced from indigenous Sicilian grapes. Its name derives from that of our family: Planeta di Santa Cecilia. Monica Larner writes: "If I were to make a top-ten classification of Italy's most beautiful vineyard sites, Planeta's new Capo Milazzo estate would be featured near the top of that list. A steep rocky promontory jets out over an azure sea with gentle waves that crash against its flanks. On a thin strip of highland, Alessio Planeta and his vineyard team have carefully designed vineyard rows. The windy Capo Milazzo is a stunning corner of Sicily, not far from the port town of Milazzo, where colorful hand gliders soar in constant motion overhead." 100% Nero D'Avola. Food Pairing: A wine which has no fear of the riskiest matchings such as pork marinated with chili pepper or dishes of fish with rich fibrous flesh.
