# Nerojbleo (2024)

- **Producer:** Gulfi
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nero d'Avola
- **Region:** Sicilia, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackcurrant, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate

## About this wine

Founded in 1996 by Vito Catania and continued by his sons, Gulfi is an acclaimed Sicilian winery pioneering organic, non-irrigated viticulture. The name Nerojbleo combines Nero d'Avola with the Monti Iblei mountain range in Chiaramonte Gulfi, Ragusa. Situated at 450 meters elevation on limestone and clay soils, these high-altitude vineyards experience cool mountain breezes, producing a fresh and expressive mountain style of Nero d'Avola distinct from coastal expressions.

## Interesting facts

- The name Nerojbleo fuses Nero d'Avola with the Monti Iblei range surrounding the high-elevation estate.
- Vineyards are planted at high density with traditional head-trained Albarello bush vines without irrigation.
- Grown at 450 meters on limestone and clay, offering a unique mountain microclimate in southern Sicily.

## Food pairing

Rich, structured meats and game harmonize with the wine's medium-plus tannins and vibrant acidity, while savory Mediterranean herbs match its pronounced fruit intensity and mineral backbone.

## Wine making process

Organically farmed grapes are hand-harvested in late September. Fermentation takes place with a prolonged maceration on the grape skins to extract color, structure, and complex compounds. The wine ages for 12 months in a combination of 225-liter French oak barriques and 500-liter tonneaux, followed by at least one year of bottle aging prior to release.