Planeta Buonivini
Planeta's Controdanza is a Noto DOC red of 85% Nero d'Avola and 15% Merlot from Buonivini's white limestone. Organic and softly tannic, with balsamic and Mediterranean herb notes, it suits Sicilian tomato and aubergine dishes.
Planeta's own notes flag jasmine, prune and the balsamic, bay, incense and goudron register Nero d'Avola takes on over Noto's white limestone, with mulberry and plum fruit lifted by 15% Merlot grown on the same lime soil.
The flavours below are the signature of Nero d'Avola in this style, shown here as shared reference. Tasting notes specific to this bottle are added when we research it.
Jasmine
Mulberry
Plum
Eucalyptus
Tobacco
Tar
Leather
OliveTwo vintages are listed here, the 2020 and 2021, from two UK retailers between £19.75 and £22.00. All bottles are standard 750ml under cork.
The scores below weigh the wine's food-friendly Sicilian style, its £19.75 entry price against Planeta's range, and a medium-term drinking window.
Food-friendly Sicilian red: harmonic acidity and soft tannins partner tomato-led and grilled dishes; Wine & Spirits singled out eggplant parmigiana.
Classic Nero d'Avola expression softened by 15% Merlot, mid-tier DOC, soft tannins and a £19.75 price make it approachable for newcomers to Sicilian reds.
At £19.75 lowest live price for a 90 to 92 point Planeta DOC, fair value within the category; price_aggregate p50 is unavailable so this is reasoned from segment knowledge.
Approachable and food-flexible, but the £19.75 price and 13.5% alcohol place it as a weekend rather than a nightly midweek bottle.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Noto denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The 2020 drew 90 to 92 points from James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, with Wine Spectator calling it best from 2023. Both vintages share the organic Buonivini house style.
The 2021 follows the Buonivini house style from white limestone: ripe mulberry and plum framed by harmonic acidity and gentle tannin. Drink from 2024 through the rest of the decade.
A warm but balanced Sicilian season; the 2020 earned 90 to 92 points across James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Soft tannins and lifted acidity drink well now, with Wine Spectator suggesting best from 2023.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Controdanza is the second wine to Santa Cecilia, drawn from the lower Buonivini valleys where the fruit softens Nero d'Avola's balsamic edge. Farmed organically under the SOStain protocol at 40 to 70 metres.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Noto is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Noto falls within Sicily , covering Sicily.
Planeta farms the Nero d'Avola and Merlot organically under the SOStain protocol on lime-marl soils at Noto; certified hand-tended estate fruit costs more than bought-in grapes.
Controdanza is built from Buonivini parcels that do not reach the single-vineyard Santa Cecilia, so the £19.75 entry sits well below Planeta's flagship Nero d'Avola.
Ageing in seasoned French barriques for ten months adds cellar time and barrel cost, while keeping the wood behind the fruit as the producer notes.
Scores of 90 to 92 from James Suckling, Wine Spectator and Wine & Spirits, plus a recognised Sicilian brand, support pricing above generic Nero d'Avola.
UK excise duty on still wine at 13.5% ABV is £2.67 a bottle (2026 HMRC rate); with 20% VAT of about £3.29, tax is roughly £6 of the £19.75 shelf price.
Wine Spectator reports 6,000 cases made; with only two active UK retailers stocking it here, modest volume keeps it off deep-discount shelves.
Dishes that complement this wine
With soft tannins, 13.5% alcohol and ten months in seasoned barriques, Controdanza is built for drinking across its first decade rather than long ageing; Wine Spectator marks the 2020 best after 2023.
Peak around 2026. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Soft tannins, 13.5% alcohol and ten months in seasoned (not new) oak give near to mid-term ageing; a second wine built to drink inside a decade, not for long cellaring.
£19.75 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 15:50 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighA style read drawn from the grape and the appellation, not from this exact bottle. We mark these notes openly so you know what you are reading.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumControdanza is 85% Nero d'Avola and 15% Merlot, both grown on the white limestone soils of Planeta's Buonivini estate at Noto in south-east Sicily.
It leads with mulberry and plum, then bay, incense and balsamic notes over soft tannins and bright acidity. The Merlot adds lift; ten months in seasoned French oak keep the wood in the background.
Yes. Planeta farms the Buonivini vineyards organically under the SOStain sustainability protocol, using cover crops and only small amounts of copper and sulphur.
Tomato-led Sicilian dishes such as pasta alla Norma and eggplant parmigiana, plus grilled lamb and aged pecorino. Its acidity cuts tomato and fried aubergine while soft tannins suit roast lamb.
It is built for drinking across its first decade. Wine Spectator rated the 2020 best from 2023; soft tannins and 13.5% alcohol favour the near to mid term over long cellaring.
At Planeta's Buonivini winery in the Noto DOC, on lime-marl soils at 40 to 70 metres in south-east Sicily. It is the second wine to Planeta's Santa Cecilia.
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