Planeta's single-vineyard Merlot from the Ulmo estate on Lake Arancio in Sicily. Fourteen months in barrique layer blackcurrant, candied violet and cocoa over agile tannins. A polished Sicilian red for grilled meat and tomato-rich pasta.
Planeta's Ulmo-vineyard Merlot pours a compact ruby, leading with sweet blackcurrant and candied violet lifted by thyme and lavender, with vanilla and cocoa from fourteen months in barrique. Vivino's drinkers consistently add ripe plum and a leathery, balsamic depth that grows with age.
Compact ruby in the glass, leading with the sweet blackcurrant and candied violet Planeta names from the Ulmo vineyard, threaded with thyme and lavender. Fourteen months in barrique add vanilla and a cocoa edge, and Vivino's drinkers pick up ripe plum and a mineral lift behind the fruit.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Plum
Leather
Vanilla
ChocolateGenerous and densely structured at 14.5%, with blackberry and black-cherry fruit over the firm but agile tannins the estate is known for. The barrique ageing shows as vanilla and dark chocolate, while a savoury, balsamic-leather thread, the note 124 Vivino reviewers single out, keeps it from feeling sweet.
Long and savoury, closing on liquorice, graphite and the polished oak that frames Planeta's reds.
A single-vineyard Sicilian Merlot that critics from Vinous to Wine Advocate have scored around 93 points, and that the Vivino crowd rates more highly with bottle age. Drink the young vintages with rich meat, or cellar them toward a late-twenties peak.
Two vintages are stocked here, the 2020 and the warmer 2021. UK prices sit around the mid-twenties for a single-vineyard Sicilian Merlot that critics from Vinous to Wine Spectator have scored 93 points.
A polished, internationally-styled Sicilian Merlot: confident with food, built to age, and priced as a mid-tier single vineyard rather than an everyday red.
Supple tannins and savoury depth make it a confident match for grilled meat, ragu and aged cheese.
Fourteen months in barrique, firm tannin and Vivino's higher scores for 2014 and 2016 point to a decade of cellaring.
A single-vineyard, critically rated Sicilian red that steps up to a dinner or gift without grand-cru pricing.
Around 26 pounds for a 93-point single-vineyard Sicilian Merlot is fair, not a steal, given Planeta's barrique programme.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Menfi denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Sito dell'Ulmo is a Merlot built to develop. Vivino's crowd rates older releases like 2014 and 2016 higher than young bottles, so the current 2020 and 2021 reward a few years in the cellar.
The warm, dry 2021 concentrated the fruit in western Sicily, giving a fuller, more structured Sito dell'Ulmo. Give it a year or two more in bottle; it should reward cellaring into the early 2030s.
A balanced western-Sicily season gave the 2020 ripe blackcurrant fruit with Sito dell'Ulmo's signature agile tannins. After fourteen months in barrique it drinks well now and should hold through the late 2020s.
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.
Planeta planted the Ulmo vineyard at Sambuca di Sicilia in 1987 and farms it organically under the SOStain protocol. Fourteen months in barrique and a consistent 93-point critical record sit behind the price.
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.
Menfi 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.
Menfi falls within Sicily , covering Sicily.
Fruit comes from one 195m site at Sambuca di Sicilia that Planeta planted in 1987, not bought-in grapes, lifting cost above a regional Sicilia blend.
Planeta ages the wine fourteen months in barrique; the small-oak barrels and cellar time add several pounds of barrel and holding cost per bottle.
Organic, SOStain-audited viticulture with manual canopy work costs more per hectare than conventional Sicilian farming.
Repeated 93-point scores from Vinous, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator support a price in the mid-twenties rather than entry level.
International Merlot is widely planted, so the wine avoids the scarcity premium an Etna Nerello or aged Nero d'Avola cru commands, holding it near 26 pounds.
UK excise duty of 2.67 pounds a bottle on still wine up to 15% plus 20% VAT account for roughly 7 pounds of the 26-pound shelf price.
Dishes that complement this wine
Supple tannins and a savoury 14.5% core make Sito dell'Ulmo a match for grilled red meat, tomato-led Sicilian pasta and aged caciocavallo. The Vivino crowd reaches most often for beef, lamb and pasta.
The firm but supple tannins of this Merlot bind to the protein and char of grilled red meat, while its savoury depth stands up to fat. Sito dell'Ulmo's barrique frame echoes the smoke of the grill.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Arrosticini · Brasato al Barolo · Porchetta · More pairings →
Fresh acidity in the wine answers the acidity of tomato sauce, so neither turns sharp. The wine's blackcurrant fruit lifts a Sicilian aubergine and tomato plate from its home island.
Try with: Pasta alla Norma · Anelletti al forno · Pasta arrabbiata · Lasagna · More pairings →
Tannin and a 14.5% structure cut through the fat and gelatin of a long braise, refreshing the palate between forkfuls. The wine's length carries the dish's savoury weight.
Try with: Ossobuco alla Milanese · Brasato al Barolo · Bollito dei Pastori · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
The wine's medium-full body matches the richness of lamb without burying it, the pairing Vivino's drinkers reach for most. Black fruit and herb notes mirror the meat's own savour.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Arrosticini · Agnello Cacio e Ova · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
Oak-derived vanilla and the wine's leathery depth bridge to the nutty, salty intensity of aged caciocavallo and pecorino. Tannin clears the palate of the cheese's fat.
Try with: Caciocavallo farcito · Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Fonduta · More pairings →
Barrique oak, firm tannin and 14.5% alcohol overwhelm delicate raw fish, while chilli heat amplifies the alcohol and turns the tannin bitter. Reach for a crisp Sicilian white like Grillo instead.
Skip with: Sushi · Oysters · Vindaloo · Sweet and sour pork · Pairing guide →
With fourteen months of barrique behind it and older vintages still drinking well, strong Sito dell'Ulmo releases hold for a decade. Vivino's higher scores for 2014 and 2016 make the case for patience.
Peak around 2028. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Fourteen months in barrique, firm tannin and Vivino's higher scores for 2014 and 2016 point to a decade of cellaring.
£26.10 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
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 · MediumIt is 100% Merlot, a single-vineyard bottling from Planeta's Ulmo estate on the banks of Lake Arancio at Sambuca di Sicilia, classified Menfi DOC.
Compact ruby, with blackcurrant, ripe plum and candied violet over vanilla and cocoa from fourteen months in barrique. Vivino drinkers also flag leather and a balsamic, earthy depth that grows with age.
Grilled red meat, tomato-led Sicilian pasta like Pasta alla Norma, slow-braised meat and aged caciocavallo. The supple tannins and savoury core handle richer dishes well.
Strong vintages hold around a decade. Older releases such as 2014 and 2016 rate higher with Vivino's crowd than young bottles, so the 2020 and 2021 reward a few years' patience.
At about 26 pounds it is fair value for a single-vineyard Sicilian Merlot that critics from Vinous to Wine Advocate have scored around 93 points.
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