LA SEGRETA IL ROSSO, SICILIA DOC
Planeta
APPELLATION
Sicilia (Menfi D.O.C.)
GRAPE VARIETIES
50% Nero d'Avola, 25% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Franc
WINEMAKERS
Patricia Toth
TECHNICAL DATA
Acidity
3.51
Alcohol
13.15%
92POINTS
91POINTS


Planeta’s journey began at Sambuca di Sicilia, on the estate owned by the family since the 1600s. Here three enthusiastic young Sicilians, Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta, under the guidance of Diego Planeta, began their winemaking venture in the mid-1980s. Subsequent years were spent matching the extraordinarily diverse Sicilian soils with both indigenous and international varieties. Planeta today, encompasses six distinct wine estates in five regions across Sicily; Ulmo at Sambuca di Sicilia, Dispensa at Menfi, Dorilli at Vittoria, Buonivini at Noto, Sciara Nuova on Etna at Castiglione di Sicilia, and the newest addition, La Baronia at Capo Milazzo. Each vineyard site is carefully cultivated with grapes that best compliment the local terroir.
La Segreta takes its name from the wood that surrounds the vineyard at Ulmo. This young fresh wine composed principally of Nero d’Avola grapes, the banner of Sicilian wine, gains style and personality with the addition of international grapes. All the grapes are knowledgeably cultivated in vineyards owned by Planeta. La Segreta is the versatile companion for daily drinking, suitable for the most diverse occasions. It is a perfect approach to Sicilian wine with its good relationship between quality and price, guaranteed by the Planeta family’s patient work, from vine to bottle.
Dispensa (altitude: 45-75 meters a.s.l) soils are moderately deep, chalky, moderately limey with little structure. Maroccoli (370-430 meters a.s.l.) has lime soil with rich structure, little chalk and abundant silty areas. Gurra (35-75 meters a.s.l.) has moderately deep soil with little lime, no structure and is very chalky. Buonivini (40-70 meters a.s.l.) soils consist of lime marl, abundant structure and fine texture with light-colored chalk pieces.
2020 saw a sustained, well-timed rainfall and a particularly mild summer throughout Sicily. This gave rise to a memorable harvest, small but perfect for its quality. Three factors contributed to an ideal harvest; First was perfect distribution of rainfall during the whole year, which meant abundant rain during a mild winter, a completely dry period during the growth of the fruit, ensuring a naturally controlled progress. The second and third factors were a summer with no excessive hot spells and a naturally low yield; together this produced concentration, the harbinger of quality.
Harvesting took place August 30–Sept 15. The grapes were picked and transported to the winery in small-medium sized trolleys, then destemmed and pressed and sent to stainless steel vats. The grapes were stirred three times a day with very brief pumpings. The fermentation lasts 7-8 days; the temperature in the first phases is maintained at 60-62°F and then the refrigeration is suspended and the final degrees of alcohol are achieved at temperatures of 75-77°F. Once the fermentation is finished, the skins are decanted. The malolactic fermentation occurs in the same vats and then, after the decanting following the malolactic, maturation begins, still in the stainless steel vats.
TASTING NOTESIntense and vivid ruby red color. On the nose aromas of currants and mulberries with a final spicy and minty note. In the mouth the wine demonstrates its fine personality with flavors of ripe wild fruit, balanced by a full and grassy taste in a very pleasant way. The tannins are soft and well smoothed thus conferring a very versatile character to this wine.
For daily consumption, the ideal matching is with Mediterranean pasta dishes, light dishes of meat, vegetables and also blue fish.