Planeta 2024 Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 750ml

Cerasuolo di Vittoria is Sicily's most prestigious wine appellation — the island's only DOCG — and Planeta is widely considered its most celebrated interpreter. The name itself comes from "cerasa," the Sicilian dialect word for cherry, and the wine is built from a blend that could only exist in this specific corner of southeastern Sicily: 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato, two indigenous varieties that together create something genuinely more complete than either could achieve alone. Nero d'Avola brings structure, depth, and the dark, sun-drenched fruit of southern Sicily — black cherry, plum, and a warm, spiced earthiness. Frappato lightens and lifts, contributing bright red fruit, floral aromatics, and a vivid freshness that keeps the wine elegant and genuinely alive rather than simply heavy.

The fruit is grown on Planeta's 34-hectare Dorilli estate, named for the nearby Dirillo river, in countryside between the sea and the Iblean Mountains — territory the family has farmed since long before Planeta expanded into the broader Sicilian estate it is today, encompassing six distinct properties across five regions of the island. The soils here are notably sandy, made up of loose red sand free of stones, sitting atop a tufa layer at roughly 90 centimeters that plays a crucial role in the vineyard's water balance. Vines are farmed organically and sustainably, hand-harvested — Frappato typically picked September 17-20, Nero d'Avola following September 20-25 — before 14 days of skin maceration, fermentation at 23°C in stainless steel, gentle pressing with a traditional vertical basket press, and aging entirely in steel.

2024 was a genuinely demanding vintage across the Vittoria region: James Suckling's own tasting report on the appellation described severe drought conditions, with neighboring winemaker Mattia Giacomelli of Santa Tresa recording "barely 300 millimeters" of rainfall over the entire growing season — reduced yields, but concentration sharpened as a direct result. Good Cheese's own tasting of this exact vintage found "a wine of real character: medium-bodied, silky, and deeply expressive, with the warmth of the Sicilian sun balanced by genuine finesse." Kerin O'Keefe, in a review of the wine's broader house style, found "mature dark-skinned fruit and vineyard dust aromas" waft from the glass "along with a whiff of rusty iron," the smooth palate carrying "relaxed tannins" alongside "dried cherry, blood orange and steely mineral." Planeta's own tasting notes describe cherry, strawberry, and pomegranate on the nose, with black pepper mixing with carob and sweet cherries on the palate, closing full-bodied and rounded with notes of mulberry. This is Sicily's most historically significant red wine appellation at its most concentrated and expressive — a genuinely serious bottle from the family who essentially defined what modern Sicilian wine could be.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Cerasuolo di Vittoria is Sicily's only DOCG, and Planeta's expression of it is sourced from the Dorilli estate, 34 hectares of vineyard near the Dirillo river, in the countryside between the sea and the Iblean Mountains — a region the Planeta family describes as "redolent of history and the long agricultural tradition of our family." Planeta today encompasses six distinct estates across five regions of Sicily: Ulmo at Sambuca di Sicilia, Dispensa at Menfi, Dorilli at Vittoria, Buonivini at Noto, Sciara Nuova on Etna, and the newest addition, La Baronia at Capo Milazzo — each cultivated with grape varieties specifically matched to their local terroir.

The wine is a blend of 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Frappato, grown on notably sandy soils composed of loose red sand free of stones, moderately deep, with a tufa layer at approximately 90 centimeters that plays a critical role in the vineyard's water-holding capacity. Vines are trained on a spurred cordon (espalier) system, planted at densities of roughly 4,500 vines per hectare for Nero d'Avola and 5,000 for Frappato, farmed organically and sustainably. Harvest is staggered by variety — Frappato typically picked September 17-20, Nero d'Avola following September 20-25. Following destemming, the grapes macerate on their skins for 14 days, with fermentation proceeding at 23°C in stainless steel vats. Pressing is notably gentle, using a traditional vertical basket press, with the finished wine matured entirely in steel — no oak is used at any stage. The 2024 growing season across the broader Vittoria region was marked by severe drought, with rainfall totals reduced to as little as 300 millimeters for the entire season at some nearby estates — conditions that lowered yields but concentrated flavor intensity across the appellation.

Critics Reviews

No specific numerical critic score is confirmed for the 2024 vintage at this time. For house-style context, the following critics have reviewed recent vintages of this exact wine:

Kerin O'Keefe (house style, recent vintage):
"Mature dark-skinned fruit and vineyard dust aromas waft out of the glass along with a whiff of rusty iron. On the smooth palate, relaxed tannins accompany dried cherry, blood orange and steely mineral."

Danielle Callegari (house style, recent vintage):
"Cerasuolo di Vittoria invariably offers the best of all worlds and this Planeta bottling is no exception, with vanilla, soil and tanned leather on the nose, alongside cigar box and dried cherries. The palate creates an exciting fruity contrast with the savory nose, offering metallic, meaty notes with red fruit leather and freeze dried strawberries."

Planeta official tasting notes:
"A unique wine, recognisable and unforgettable; aromas of cherry, strawberry and pomegranate, fruits of the particular soils and climate. In the mouth, the wine reflects the olfactory perceptions and happily discovers black pepper mixed with carob and sweet cherries. A lively palate with a very full-bodied rounded finish with notes of mulberry."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Black cherry, plum, and warm spiced earthiness lead from the Nero d'Avola component, joined by bright red fruit, cherry blossom, raspberry, and floral aromatics from Frappato. Blood orange, vineyard dust, and a whiff of rusty iron add savory complexity, alongside pencil shavings and black tea in some tastings.

Palate
Medium-bodied, silky, and deeply expressive, with relaxed, fine tannins carrying dried cherry, blood orange, and steely mineral. Black pepper mixes with carob and sweet cherries, while cherries and raspberries macerate against a chalky, tea-leaf-like bitterness that adds real structural interest.

Finish
Full-bodied and rounded, closing with notes of mulberry and, in some tastings, a distinctly salted chocolate character. Genuine finesse balances the warmth of the Sicilian sun throughout — a finish that reflects both the appellation's classic character and this vintage's drought-concentrated intensity.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Seared tuna
• Feathered game
• Pizza
• Chopped mushroom dishes
• Grilled Sicilian cuisine