$24.99 on 6+ bottles (code: 6saves2)

92 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2025 - 2029
Crushed violet mingles with lavender and a dusting of spice as the 2022 Nero d'Avola Nerojbleo slowly blossoms in the glass. The palate is round and supple, with ripe red and black fruits offset by savory herbal tones. Cooling acidity maintains a lovely balance. The 2022 tapers off with potent length yet remains fresh and pure, leaving nuances of wild blueberry and a subtle citrus twang.
By Eric Guido on July 2025
With this year's new releases, readers will see a change in the naming and labeling of Gulfi’s single-vineyard bottlings. For decades, Gulfi has produced single-vineyard Nero d’Avola from vineyards in Pachino, within the province of Syracuse. However, to use the Pachino appellation on the label, these wines would have to be vinified within the DOC. This resulted in the creative names of wines like NeroSanlorè, NeroBufaleffj, NeroMaccarj and NeroBaronj. As I’ve said in the past, Gulfi is one of the innovators and trailblazers of the region—literally putting it on the international map—and yet they could not state actual place names on their labels. As of the 2020 vintage, this is no longer the case. Proprietor Matteo Catania gained permission from the Ministry of Agriculture to vinify in their winery and state the actual place names on their labels. This is a big step forward, but it could cause some consumer confusion. Going forward, Sanlorenzo (previously NeroSanlorè), Bufaleffi (previously NeroBufaleffj), Baroni (previously NeroBaronj) and Maccari (previously NeroMaccarj) make up the new selection of single-vineyard offerings, and I must say that they are excellent. As is often the case, the Bufaleffi is the dark and radiant beauty of the bunch, with the Sanlorenzo bringing elegance. The 2022 Nero d'Avola Nerojbleo (no name change here as it is not a single-vineyard wine) makes for an excellent introduction to Gulfi’s Nero d’Avola selections.

Our Tasting Note: Deep ruby core, lighter edges.  The nose is pronounced and meaty, jammy baked fruits, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, savory notes, leather, plus pencil shavings/graphite. The palate is med/med+ and med/med+ grain tannin, pronounced persistence and med+ finish.  Very good!

Winery: Gulfi’s flagship, a selection of the oldest vines of Nero d’Avola — “Nero” (Black) referring to the Nero d’Avola, and “Jbleo” denoting its origin, the Iblei.  It is intense and solar, with mineral notes, iodine and capers typical of the maturity of this variety. Soft and silky on the palate, with a lovely freshness and length. Ideal for long aging.