Tenuta Sallier de la Tour Nero d'Avola 2022
We have 9 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Nero d'Avola takes its name from Avola, a town in Sicily's far southeast. Some of the grape's most interesting expressions, though, come from the opposite end of the island. Tenuta Sallier de la Tour sits in the Jato Valley in the Monreale hills outside Palermo, where elevations are higher and the climate cooler than the grape's ancestral home. The estate's La Monaca vineyard, named after the highest hill on the property, sits at 320 meters above sea level in soils of well-balanced clay, sand, and silt. Mediterranean heat arrives tempered by altitude and sea breezes, keeping freshness in the fruit through a long growing season.
The Wine
100% Nero d'Avola, trained on espalier with spurred cordon at 4,000 vines per hectare. Fermentation runs at 28°C for 20 days with traditional red wine maceration. Thirty percent of the wine ages 12 months in second and third passage 225-liter French oak barrels (Allier and Tronçais); the remaining 70% rests in stainless steel. The result is a wine with genuine Nero d'Avola character: dark cherry, dried plum, earth, and a thread of spice, with enough oak integration to add body without weighing down the fruit. Honest and complete for what it is, not a wine built for long cellaring.
The People
The Sallier de la Tour family, French-Piedmontese nobility who settled in Sicily in the 18th century, have owned this estate since the mid-1800s. The winery building, La Monaca, was constructed in 1909. In 1956, Paolo Sallier de La Tour married Costanza Tasca d'Almerita, linking the family to one of the island's most prominent wine dynasties. In 2008, the estate formally joined the Tasca d'Almerita group, which has been making wine in Sicily since 1830 and is among the most respected voices in the island's wine culture. The estate is managed today by Costanza Chirivino of the Sallier de La Tour family, with the Tasca d'Almerita team behind the winemaking.
Food Pairing
Nero d'Avola at this level is a reliable weeknight bottle. Spaghetti with a simple tomato and basil sauce, eggplant parmigiana, or a lamb burger with caramelized onions all work well. It holds its own alongside a good pizza or a plate of cured meats. Not a bottle that demands a special occasion. One that earns its place at a regular table.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
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Sicily, Italy’s largest island, blends ancient wine traditions with a fresh wave of modern creativity. Its star red grape, Nero d’Avola, thrives in the island’s warm, sun-soaked climate, producing intensely flavored wines with dark fruit and a hint of savory spice. Along the western coast lies the historic heartland of Marsala, a fortified wine prized for both sweet and dry styles. Rising above the island’s varied landscapes is Mount Etna, an active volcano whose mineral-rich soils and cooler elevations result in elegantly structured reds and nuanced whites. From coast to crater, Sicily’s wine culture is as diverse and vibrant as the region itself.
Italy - Sicily
Nero d'Avola is Sicily's most widely planted grape, originally grown near the town of Avola in the island's southeast. It thrives in Sicily’s warm Mediterranean climate and sandy limestone soils, producing medium to full-bodied red wines. Typically, Nero d'Avola offers flavors of ripe blackberry and plum with hints of spice. The wines have balanced acidity and a solid structure, making them enjoyable young or aged for a few years. Though closely linked to Sicily, Nero d'Avola is also increasingly popular in warm climates like Australia and California.
