Note di Rosso, while no longer in its hallmark squat bottle, is still primed for the Sunday afternoon cookout crowd, dominated almost entirely by the ripe, fleshy fruit of Nero d’Avola with a small percentage of Syrah rounding out the makeup. Native fermentations and gentle extractions in tank are followed by a brief 6-month stint in chestnut barrels; the resulting wine — at once juicy, boisterous and pleasantly plush without really coming close to being a ‘full-bodied wine.’ Rustic and bright, the wine balances the classic cherried/purple floral quality so pervasive in Sicilian Nero d’Avola with a raft of more spicy, savory, herbal elements — anisette, oregano, black pepper & Kalamata olive.