($17): Conte Tasca d’Almerita’s Tenuta Regaleali, one of Sicily’s leading producers, has shown the world repeatedly that Sicily can produce superb wine.  To their credit, they do not rest on their laurels.  This wine, only their third vintage, is a good example of their broad thinking.  The Perricone grape, an indigenous grape known locally as Guarnaccio, traditionally has been co-planted and blended with Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s major red grape because it actually soften the latter’s ferocious acidity.  Indeed, Regaleali’s top wine, Rosso de Conte, was initially a blend of Nero d’Avola and Perricone.  As a mono-varietal, in Regaleali’s hands, the wine has a racy austerity.  Fresh and lively, it’s a mid-weight — not opulent — wine, conveying slightly smoky notes along with juicy fruitiness.
91 Michael Apstein Jun 13, 2017