Here’s a Nero d’Avola wine hailing from the Eloro appellation on the southern end of the Island of Sicily, just off the “toe” of mainland Italy.
It was produced by Cantina Riofavara, a family-run estate (by the Padovas), employing natural and organic practices in the vineyard, with a keen focus on cultivating native Sicilian varieties, such as Nero d’Avola.
Nero d’Avola (aka Calabrese) is a prized black variety, and among the most planted, on the island; as a late-ripening grape, it thrives in hot, sunny environments, such as Eloro, allowing it to reach complete, juicy maturity by harvest time.
Following the primary fermentation of this wine, Riofavara matured it for an additional 14 months in oak barriques (smaller barrels), followed by 4 months in bottle (left unfiltered) before release, helping to soften the tannins and integrate the constituent parts of this wine.
The result? A gloriously deep ruby wine with plush notes of black cherry, black raspberry, plum, pomegranate, violet, desiccated rose, black licorice, star anise, nutmeg, vanilla, clove, sweet tobacco, pencil shavings, and wet earth, on the nose and palate. It has lively acidity, medium alcohol (13.5% ABV), and chewy tannins.
This wine is nuanced, multi-faceted, and brings a fine balance of plentiful fruity, earthy, and spicy qualities, which complement the medium (+) and textured tannins. The finish lingers.
It transports us to the southern tip of Sicily, where we can feel the radiant sunshine on our faces; that which gives life to the surroundings… Cheers to delicious wines that offer a sense of place! — 3 years ago


Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7
I wish I could hold a bottle with my toes like you,
Vintage 2001 | my oh my. 24 years old. We tend to drink grüner veltliner young but there is no need to do so. @Rob van Kalmthout said the advice is to drink between 3-5 years or after 15 years and longer. I saw many happy faces with this wine. Flint and spicyness. I smelled chestnut champignons. Dill. And also creamy butter. Vitality, rich, beautiful rondeur. Fantastic. — a year ago
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard emerges mostly from upper blocks on this site, a striking hillside that faces Colgin, where the steep exposure can yield wines of tremendous pedigree. That is exactly what comes through here. Inky red/purplish fruit, spice, rose petal, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco meld together effortlessly, with silky tannins that wrap it all up. Bold and luscious, but with tremendous nuance, the Melanson Cabernet is a total stunner in 2018. As I have written in the past, farming here has improved tremendously in recent years. This is another superb example of the quality that this site is capable of. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown gave the 2018 a relatively short 10 days on the skins. I imagine he thought the site would take care of the rest. It's hard to argue with that. The 2018 is off the charts great. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)
— 5 years ago
Vintage 2007 | in a recent blind tasting I did not recognize the white Musar. The organizer said: drink this one time and you will never forget. I do not agree. It’s special. It is an experience. But just like the red this Musar can have many faces. I liked the 2007. Well balanced, mild power, good acidity. Fine bitters in aftertaste. Lots of character. Easily a wine when tasted blind you can fool your friends. My wine friends said viura in majority. | paired with sushi — 2 years ago
Ripe lemon, tangerine and lime pith encircle a warm tropical melange. There are endive sentiments and echoes of ocean brine.
lemon is a big player on the palate, showing three faces; zest essence and racy fruit. A touch of lime keeps it clean and the salinity brings it all home. What it lacks in complexity it doubles down on in subtlety. Def for lighter seafood dishes that need to brighten.
#domainpotinetampeau #potinetampeau #mersault #mersaultcharmes #premiercrumersault #premiercru #grandvindebourgogne #whiteburgundy #bourgogneblanc #frenchwhitewine #whiteburg #appellationmersaultpremiercrucontrolée — 4 years ago
It's like an orthodox Bordeaux.
While the aroma is based on blackberries, the beastly nuance of Merlot and the leather nuance from fermentation show their faces.
Good wine. — 5 years ago
Peter van den Besselaar
vintage 2016 | Odd experience. With 10 y I thought this to be a perfect wine for my Sunday dinner. When my wife and I tasted it we were making funny faces to each other. Verdict: undrinkable. We put it back in the bottle and I took it to a blind tasting with friends. They appreciated the wine. With 72+ hours air the wine came to life. Nice cab franc characteristics. — a month ago