2015-C Sodale Merlot de Lazio, Lazio, Italy (750ml)
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Deep purple in color, Sodale is redolent with inky black fruit, dried plum and blackberry, with a potpourri of dried flowers and a touch of minerally graphite all of which are woven together tightly with a marked degree of finesse. On the palate the wine is juicy yet structured with abundant tannin that is polished and supple in texture.
Sodale is composed of 100% Merlot from vines that thrive on the calcium-rich, volcanic soils of Montefiascone in Lazio. The grapes are harvested by hand and carefully vinified in temperature-controlled steel tanks, then aged in 325L French oak barrels for 9 months (half of which were new). While the reputation of Merlot continues to suffer a bit from the “Sideways” effect, this is a stellar example of how misguided that wholesale dismissal of the variety can be. The bond between the Cotarellas and the wine world originated in the Sixties, when Antonio and Domenico Cotarella, grape-growers in Monterubiaglio, built their first winery. The name, Sodale, derives from the Italian sodalizio which translates as solidarity, or a strong bond. Sodale refers as much to the bond between the estate's founders, Riccardo and Renzo, and their daughters, Dominga, Marta and Enrica, now managing the estate as it does the bond between the wine-lover and wine.
