Hugonis Cabernet Sauvignon/Nero d’Avola Sicilia I.G.T. 2016
Tenuta Rapitalà
Hugonis with its powerful and austere style is the most prized product of Tenuta Rapitalà, the legacy wine. The seal of Hugonis Bernardi – a knight in armor with two leopards – which appears on the label, is the coat-of-arms of the family of Hugues Bernard de la Gatinais and his son, Laurent.
Terroir: 100% estate-grown fruit is sourced from Nero d’Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon plots situated between 1,000 and 1,300 feet above sea level on rich, clay soils. Guyot-trained vines have limited yields of 28 quintals per acre.
Vinification: The grapes are harvested in mid-September. Each parcel is harvested and vinified separately in small, stainless steel vats with long macerations, over two weeks for the Cabernet Sauvignon and one week for the Nero d’Avola. At the end of fermentation,
the wines are transferred to French oak barriques (50% new and 50% second and third passage) where they are left to mature for 18 months before being blended and bottled. The resulting wine rests in bottle for six months before release.
Laurent de la Gatinais discusses Hugonis
Additional Information
Deep red color, full and complex bouquet with definite varietal notes, very well structured, abundant tannins and a long and lingering aftertaste.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Sicilia IGT
- Sustainability: Sustainable Practices
- Soil: Loose clay, sand
- Alcohol: 14%
- Ttl Acidity: 5 g/l
- Residual Sugar: 3.7 g/l
- Sizes Available: 750ml, 1.5L
- Pack Size: 6/750ml
- Varietals: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Nero d’Avola
Recent Press
-
Score: 90 Points
Vinous Author: Eric Guido
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2021"The 2016 Hugonis is darkly alluring and rich, opening with notes of tobacco and mocha that slowly evolve into a more focused display of crushed blackberries, currants and exotic spice. Its velvety textures cast a soothing wave of ripe black fruits across the palate, contrasted by hints of sour citrus, as a coating of fine tannins mounts toward the close. It possesses admirable balance and poise, and tapers off classically dry, structured and persistent, permitting mineral-tinged wild berries to linger long. This equal-parts blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola could use a year or two of cellaring to show its best. Nicely done." -
Score: 90 Points
Vinous Author: Eric Guido
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2021"The 2016 Hugonis is darkly alluring and rich, opening with notes of tobacco and mocha that slowly evolve into a more focused display of crushed blackberries, currants and exotic spice. Its velvety textures cast a soothing wave of ripe black fruits across the palate, contrasted by hints of sour citrus, as a coating of fine tannins mounts toward the close. It possesses admirable balance and poise, and tapers off classically dry, structured and persistent, permitting mineral-tinged wild berries to linger long. This equal-parts blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola could use a year or two of cellaring to show its best. Nicely done." -
Score: 92 Points
The Wine Advocate Author: Monica Larner
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2019"This is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola. The 2016 Hugonis is a succulent and softly textured expression with ripe cherry, spice, leather and tar. This is a medium-weight red wine from the deep south of Italy. Drink this pretty wine with grilled sausage with fennel seed."
