If you're into music, you might have heard of Erlend Øye. One of his many projects was the "The Whitest Boy Alive," in which Marcin Öz was playing the bass. In 2014 when Erlend moved to Sicily, they stopped making music together, but Marcin soon followed his friend to Sicily. After settling and learning Italian, his friends' parents wanted to sell their wine yard, and Marcin immediately went for it. It took him a while to get to reach the wine quality he was aiming for, but with a lot of help from neighboring winemakers, including an expert recommended by the COS winery, he made it happen. He's now farming the 7 hectares of vines organically and works according to the phases of the moon.
This Syrah, which was also the first one Marcin ever made, grew on limestone in the area between Noto and Pachino in Contrada Buonivini. After the harvest by hand, it was first crushed and left to ferment for two weeks with the skins. Following this initial phase, it was then filled into stainless steel tanks to ferment and age for 18 months. During the waning moon of March 2019, it was bottled (with a little sulfur) and left to rest before shipping. Herbal aromas and spices will greet you first, followed by raspberries and more red fruit. Acidity and alcohol are well balanced, and with a little bit of chocolate, in the end, this is the ultimate comfort wine for gloomy February days. This should work well with many slow-cooked dishes, with or without meat.