Bonavita, Faro

Ruby color. Medium light body. Nicely perfumed nose of blueberries and violets. The blueberries carry over onto the palate along with cranberries and strawberries. The wine is well balanced between the juicy vibrant fruit and a pronounced acidity. Drink now and over the next 5 years. Great with food needing a more delicate wine; a bit pinot-like.

2021 vintage

Waited too long!

2012 vintage

Nice - based upon my previous note in January, this bottle is showing better. Good acidity and persistence. An earthy, rustic nose with black & red fruit. The acidity really makes this pretty lively on the palate. Sadly, my last bottle.

2010 vintage

Nice enough red wine but not something I am terribly familiar with. Italy has so many different wine grapes that there is always something new to try out/try again. And I don't drink enough Sicilian wines to start with. And I'm big on Frappato these days. Anyway. At 8 years I found this wine to be a medium bodied, fairly smooth, on the dusty earthy savory side of things with a little vague cherry fruit remaining and a strong core …

2012 vintage

Not bad, but missing that "excitement" element, if you will. Somewhat four square on the palate, with decent persistence, but maybe a touch less acidity than I normally look for.

2010 vintage

I'd say the same note as two years ago... still very firm and showing nice, heavy fruit throughout, but some lingering alcoholic warmth that is a bit intense. Certainly a poor QPR, but I do enjoy the wine.

2012 vintage

Very energetic. Pronounced flavors with a bit of heat. Well managed tannin. I prefer Palari, but this wine's exuberance is hard to resist.

2012 vintage

This wine is made from Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Nocera from 10-80yr old vines. Production is organic and largely manual. The wine is aged in oak for 24months. Only 7,000 bottles produced (according to the website). 2012 saw a rainy winter, followed by a very dry and hot spring and summer, producing good conditions. This is bright ruby red in the glass. The nose shows appealing sweat and sour red cherry fruit with a hint of balsamic after breathing. …

2012 vintage

A bit disappointed, but will be happy to try again and certainly different vintages. Light, tart red fruit dominates, with just hints of allspice. Lots of acidity. Definitely need to have this with food to tame it.

2012 vintage

Opened to air 2 hours before consuming. Not enough. Drank with friends and this wine evolved over the next hour. Some offered clove as a component, some commented on the evolving tannins. I noticed the dry bing cherry taste. Would be a great pasta wine.

2012 vintage

My great-great-grandfather immigrated to the Unites States from Messina, Sicily, so this wine holds a particular interest for me. We almost made a visit here during our trip through Messina last year but wasn't able to finalize the details in time. Oh well, at least I was able to secure some of the wine to see what it's all about. The wine is quite dark in color and offers very strong and beautiful aromas of gorgeous ripe strawberries and cherries, …

2012 vintage

1st day growing aromatics of fresh picked cherries. Opened like a village Burg, but quickly evolved to grand cru darker, mineral, spice and raspberry after 1 hour. Finished with nice zing and fine grained tannins. Day 2 this really shined with aromatics taking on an enveloping musk, spice and wet earth nose. Total silky, dense mouthfeel with maraschino cherry and Amarone like palate. Finishing with mouth and tongue coating tannins but sweet fruit lasting for 45 secs. Very long and …

2012 vintage

Pretty young and primary but very good. The aromatics are wonderful - bright clean red fruit, acid, pine. In the mouth it brings to mind a decade-old Barabresco. Great finish - tannins to start, resolving and lingering yielding to fruit and red licorice.

2012 vintage

A private dinner (Restaurant Atelier Crenn **, San Francisco, California, USA) : A blend of 60% Nerello Mascalese, 30% Nerello Cappuccio and 10% Nocera. Medium deep, sombre colour, mature but lively; impressive nose, roses and bitters from the stems, amaro spices and garrigue, almonds and cherries, deep minerality; the bright and lively acidity has integrated well, pure and clean, good phenolics from the skins, granite minerality, medium body, hint of apple in the flavours; good length.

2010 vintage

Flat fruit and a little cheese and coffee on the nose. Spicy and inviting like welcoming log in the fire. The fruit is lovely but it's calling from far away. Austere on the front palate but then that fruit gently builds -- almost sneaks up on you. Plays beautifully with hot red peppers and Southern Italian food.

2010 vintage

Nerello-based wines are often compared to pinot, but this bottle more resembles an aglianico or even a basic Barolo. Deep pitched red, with mineral, soil, tar, and volcanic rock notes (though the Faro soils are not like those in Etna). Medium body, relatively food friendly. Very good now, I wonder how this would age?

2010 vintage

Slightly murky at the core, but generally translucent ruby on the rim - clearly darker in color than the Passopisciaro wines I have tried from Sicily. Very developed/complex nose, with black & red fruits, an almost "meatiness" as well, hints of smoke - a lot going on here. Very sleek/linear on the palate, fruit framed by bright acidity, with a tannic bite to the finish. While the nose indicated secondary nuances, the palate is very primary. My first exposure to …

2010 vintage

It still reminds me of a Dolcetto - a combination of bitter and fruit with notes of earthiness. On the nose its a combination of forest floor and strawberries while the palate contains notes of fruits, savory and a streak of bitter oak. I like this bottle better than an earlier bottle tried this year but at around $35 a bottle not sure its really a bargain in any sense of the word. Still, its becoming a more interesting drink …

2008 vintage

red berry/cherry fruit, leather and a hint of spice.good levels of acidity together with grippy tannins followed by a long finish.elegant

2010 vintage

I liked the Dolcetto better I guess (see earlier review). While this would appear to have more going for it (other reviewers seem to like this alot), I thought it was weak in the mid palate, a tad bit tart and out of balance and finish of no particular note. It certainly isn't cheap at around $35 a bottle and I have had several other Sicilian wines of late around the same price point that I think were a lot …

2008 vintage

Seminario sulla sensorialità - Porthos, Roma : (degustato alla cieca) mediterraneo da far spavento. naso molto molto bello. in bocca sfodera calore e acidità. un vino splendido

2010 vintage

Very tight; Hard to coax much out of this one; Solid though

2008 vintage

Earth red colour. A bit closed on the nose at first but opening up with time. Woody nose with a farmyard fruit backdrop. Nice weight entry of sour cherry and wild blackberry. This is very long with a bit of menthol and spice. Tannins deep and long. A hair too much alcohol for the fruit but opened up over time. Not a refreshing wine, it will take a strong local dish. This is well made and full of terroir. Let …

2008 vintage

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Bonavita, Faro

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