Marsala Superiore Oro Riserva

Italy
Sicily
2004

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).

96 points
"The 2004 Marsala d'Oro Superiore Riserva first captures your attention with its gorgeous amber and orange hue, as you swirl and watch its glycerol viscosity coat the glass. Its bouquet pulls you close, a dusting of clove and cinnamon giving way to dried florals, orange peel, incense and baked apples. It’s velvety yet not weighty in feel, with an incredibly layered display that comes in waves, as salted almonds and caramel are followed by grilled mango and peach, the gobs of minerality and brisk acids maintaining impeccable balance. This is decidedly more savory than sweet, tapering off over the course of minutes, while also leaving the senses perfectly refreshed and aching for another salty sip. This glorious effort will make you a lifelong fan of dry Marsala."
Eric Guido,
Vinous Media
June 2021

SKU/Code: 
DB8853-04
Product Line: 
Wine
Dessert
Varietal: 
Grillo
Farming Type: 
Organic