If you were to look in the Wine Bible, Feudo Principle Di Butera is listed as one of the top producers for nero d’Avola, one of Sicily’s leading red grapes. The stuff is amazing if you happen to find it, with deeply black-colored wines of huge depth, juicy fruit flavors, and incredible charm. The quality is frankly astonishing, and the price for nero d’Avola is typically low, around $10. What you typically don’t find when you look into Sicily is Cabernet Sauvignon, so how does Feudo Principi Di Butera Cabernet Sauvignon compare to their more well established nero?
Sight: A medium purple core with a hint of transparency and light red edges
Smell: There’s a good amount of black cherries, dried cranberries, and blueberries, and they’re oddly complimented with graphite, sawdust, and a green pepper like note.
Sip: The body is more on the medium end of the spectrum, and ends up instantly pulling in graphite and black cherries. There’s a large amount of bay leaf and green pepper in here, and not much in the way of red fruit.
Savor: The ending is a mix of plum skins and deeply passive aggressive tannins that work with it to drive home a point about dark fruit.
Feudo Principi Di Butera Cabernet Sauvignon is an aggressive romp through tannins and bay leaves. If I had to find a Cabernet Sauvignon from the old world to drink, this one is somewhere near the bottom of my list. Bordeaux would obviously be better, if not as cheap. That said, Sicily isn’t known for great Cabernet Sauvignon, and Feudo Principi Di Butera Cabernet Sauvignon might be part of the reason. If you do want to try something from Feudo Principi Di Butera, try the nero d’Avola, they’re still a great producer for that.
Verdict: Graphite, Black Cherry, Bay Leaf, Green
Rating: 54
Price: $7
Sicily