Italiano
Nobility in the DNA: Cabernet Sauvignon Tasca (1)
Thanks to young Lucio Tasca d'Almerita's intuition, at the end of the 80s Sicily came in touch with international grapes, among the others Cabernet Sauvignon.
Some people have innate charm and they know it. One of these is Lucio Tasca d’Almerita, who is everything you would expect a Sicilian aristocrat to be. When he was young he entered the family’s wine business with the intention of revolutionizing a few things, including the winery’s traditional ampelography. In 1979-80 he decided to plant international grapes: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (later eliminated), Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. This was a total novelty in Sicily and making wine with these grapes was not authorized at the time by the regional government. Nevertheless, Lucio Tasca’s intuition was brilliant and in the end paid off.
Only a few vines were initially planted of Cabernet Sauvignon but soon many more followed in the San Francesco vineyard of the Regaleali estate, which has a very deep soil with fine clay and a bit of lime. It is located in a valley situated at an altitude of 550m with a southwest exposure. The first vintage produced, 1998, in the end did get authorization from the region and thus became Sicily’s first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. And it is this award-winning wine that is the subject of this vertical tasting of 10 vintages. Today focuses on the first five tasted, starting with the first one produced, 1988, followed by 1991, 1998, 2000 and 2001. Tomorrow will focus on the younger vintages beginning with 2002.
