Mandrarossa 'Cartagho' Nero d'Avola is an intense red wine with powerful aromas of wild blackberries and cherries. This full-bodied, balanced wine has delightful flavours of black fruit, underlined by delicate notes of dates and maritime pine. A perfect accompaniment to beef and lamb dishes.

Critic Review

Decanter Magazine: 90Pts
Drinking Window: 2023 - 2028

"Carthago 2018 has a beautifully rich nose, hinting at jammy fruits but retaining more of a fresh, ripe red and black cherry, raspberry and blackberry character with a touch of spice. Full and round, it has a spicy attack followed by a wave of acidity and lovely verticality which comes from Menfi's sandy limestone soils. It's poised and focused, with long length of beautifully ripe red fruits (and more spice), yet lacks much complexity at this relatively early stage in its evolution."
James Button

About the Producer

First produced in 1999, the Mandrarossa wines come from a selection of the best sites from Cantine Settesoli’s 6,000 hectares of vineyard, situated in southwestern Sicily and planted with 32 different grape varieties. This range was conceived after the diverse soils of the vineyards were mapped, enabling the winemakers to focus on what were then ranked their best sites. Under the leadership of co-operative president Giuseppe Bursi, consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini has sought to improve viticulture, which in turn has resulted in better wines. Working with soil specialist Pedro Parra and head winemaker Mimmo De Gregorio, Alberto has selected 500 hectares of vineyard for the production of the Mandrarossa wines. These vineyards are situated close to the sea, where intense sunlight, moderating sea breezes, mild temperatures, multiple elevations and a myriad of different soil types combine to give the sort of grapes that Mimmo and Alberto are looking for.

Vineyard and Winery

Vineyards for this wine are located in the contrada Torrenova in the Menfi area, on the south-west coast of Sicily. The vines grow on south-west facing hills at 150 metres above sea level, where soils are sandy. Vines are Guyot trained and planted at a density of 4,000– 4,200 plants per hectare.

After being crushed and destemmed, the grapes underwent fermentation in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks for up to 10 days at 18-22°C. The wine was then matured in barriques for six months.