I’ve been trying ward off the Monday scaries, instead of filling up with dread, so I treated myself to Italian delivery and some Cusumano Merlot on Sunday night.
Cusumano Winery is spearheaded by two brothers who run the operations closely with their father, Francesco Cusumano, and craft the wines with winemaker Mario Ronco. The wines are all estate grown and the family owns and operates more than 1,000 acres of vineyards located in different areas around Sicily.
The wine is 100% Merlot with a density of 5,000 plants per hectare and yield of 60 hectoliters per hectare. Vinification consists of destemming and cold maceration on the skins for 2 days at 5°C, fermentation at 26°-28°C, pump-over and removal of the must. Malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and a period in contact with the fine lees for at least five months, followed by aging in the bottle.
The grapes in this Merlot are grown in clay-based soil throughout the rolling hills of Presti e Pegni. The wine is deep ruby in color with a nose of ripe red fruits and spiciness with dried leaves. On the palate, the wine was full bodied with blackberry, black cherries, and plum. It had nice tannins and acidity. You can find it online for about $15. I paired it with a facemask, pizza and chicken parmigiana delivery, and Netflix.
Check out my other Cusumano reviews:
Sounds like an amazing Merlot!