Vintage: 2013

Region: Niagara peninsula, Canada

ABV: 13.5%

Bottle Size: 75cl

Description

This red wine is part of Pillitteri's Carretto Series, which is made with care from premium Niagara grapes in accordance with the principle of "old world meets new world" winemaking. The value of the Carretto as a prized family relic is highlighted by the label itself.

In Sicily, a carretto (or Sicilian cart) was the only practical mode of transportation until the end of World War II. Their practicality and compact shape made them popular for navigating Italian streets long after the development of the motor vehicle. Four Carrettos were made in the early 1930s and passed down through the Pillitteri family's generations.

In 1952, Gary Pillitteri's mother brought the Carrettos to Canada, and Gary and each of his brothers was given a Carretto as a reminder of their Sicilian ancestry.

The Pillitteri family gave the largest and most exquisitely decorated Carretto in 1989 to the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, where it is still on exhibit today. The artistically painted Carretto that Gary was given is on display in the Pillitteri Estates Winery's Awards Room. The Pillitteri Carretto is a prized family relic, and in honor of this legacy, it has been adopted as the logo and the sign of their winery.

Fermented for 19 months in French oak casks. Bright red berry fruits with a wonderful undercurrent of savoriness can be found in the medium-high intensity nose.
Complexity is further added by hints of tobacco, herbal, spice, and vanilla. On the taste, it has a medium-full body, silky, polished tannins, and a harmonious, fruity acidity. On the flavor profile, there are notes of dark berry, black pepper, nicotine, black plum, herbaceous spice, and wood spice. On the lengthy finish, there is a hint of flinty minerality. Beautiful Niagara Cab Franc.