Sicily is heavily pushing the newly-launched “Sicilia DOC” label, and rightly so — it’s the place to go for wines made from Nero D’Avola grapes, as close to a official wine for this region as you’ll find.

The official group behind the Sicilia DOC sent us two current releases bearing the new AVA on the label. Thoughts follow.

2014 Mandrarossa Nero D’Avola Sicilia DOC – Heavy earth and tobacco on the nose gives one the expectation of a dark and brooding wine, but the body on this oddity is tart cherries, Jolly Ranchers, and red rope licorice. Complex in all the wrong ways, it smells exotic but drinks cheaply. C- / $10

2013 Morgante Nero D’Avola Vendemmia Sicilia DOC – Far better realized than the Mandarossa, this is a classic Nero, with dense tannins, dried herbs, and black cherry notes. As it opens up it reveals notes of cola, and the tannin on the finish smooths out with touches of chocolate. A nice and complicated little wine. B+ / $14

2014 Mandrarossa Nero D'Avola Sicilia DOC

$10

4

Rating

4.0/10

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Christopher Null

Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. A veteran writer and journalist, he also operates Null Media, a bespoke content creation company.

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