Marsala Superiore Oro Riserva

Italy
Sicily
2009

100% Grillo. All De Bartoli's marsala wines are pure Grillo, a rarity--as is its being organically farmed, estate-only, hand-harvested fruit. The bunches are gently pressed and the must fermented spontaneously with natural yeasts in wooden vats. The wine is first aged for a year in conical wooden vats called tini. From here, wine destined to become a Superiore is drawn off and fortified with a mistella, a combination of fresh Grillo must and distilled Grillo spirit, again all from De Bartoli fruit (another rarity). The fortified wine goes into a solera system of barrels of varying sizes and ages; there is no flor like in Jerez, and the barrels in this fractional blending system are never fully topped, so the aging of the wine in the system is oxidative.

For their vintage-labeled Superiore Riservas, the wine is drawn off to be further aged, untopped, in individual barrels; that year of its going into barrel becomes the vintage date on the bottle. The Marsala DOC requires a minimum aging of only 4 years for Superiore Riserva; De Bartoli’s versions are from 10-20  years before bottling. They are semi-secco or "semi-dry" due to the original fortification with mistella (the must portion of it is naturally full of sugar). Residual sugar is usually in the 50-60-grams/liter range. 

Note: the “Oro” in the name of the wine simply indicates that the grapes in the wine are all authorized white varieties (again, De Bartoli uses none except Grillo).

94 points
"The 2009 Marsala Oro Superiore Riserva captivates with a bouquet that mixes savory and sweet, as shavings of pine and cedar give way to incense, dusty flowers and dried apricots. It's silky and enveloping, with a combination of sweet exotic spice and salty minerals that penetrate deeply. The 2009 echoes on, dramatically long and staining, with crushed hazelnuts, dried orange peel and a warming tinge of alcoholic heat that heightens the experience."
Eric Guido,
Vinous Media
June 2024

SKU/Code: 
DB8853-09
Product Line: 
Wine
Dessert
Varietal: 
Grillo
Farming Type: 
Organic