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Planeta's single-vineyard Merlot from the Ulmo estate on Lake Arancio in Sicily. Fourteen months in small oak barrels layer blackcurrant, candied violet and cocoa over agile tannins. A polished Sicilian red for grilled meat and tomato-rich pasta.
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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 small oak barrels. Ripe plum sits behind the fruit, with a leathery, balsamic depth that grows with age.
The wine is compact ruby in the glass. It leads with the sweet blackcurrant and candied violet Planeta names from the Ulmo vineyard, threaded with thyme and lavender. Fourteen months in small French oak barrels add vanilla and a cocoa edge. Ripe plum and a stony lift sit behind the fruit.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Plum
Leather
Vanilla
ChocolateThis Merlot is generous and densely structured at 14.5%, with blackberry and black-cherry fruit over the firm but agile tannins the estate is known for. Ageing in the small oak barrels shows as vanilla and dark chocolate, while a savoury, balsamic-leather thread keeps it from feeling sweet.
The finish is long and savoury. It closes on liquorice, graphite and the polished oak that frames the house's reds.
A single-vineyard Sicilian Merlot that critics from Vinous to Wine Advocate have scored around 93 points. Older bottles show better than young ones, so 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 have repeatedly scored 93 points, Vinous among them.
75cl · 2020: £26.87 - £32.00, 3 UK retailers
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 small oak barrels, firm tannin and the way 2014 and 2016 still show 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 small-barrel oak programme.
An easy-to-grasp Merlot, but the oak, structure and mid-tier price place it a notch above a first Sicilian red.
At about 26 pounds and built to age, this is a considered bottle rather than a midweek everyday red.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
A compact view of what the Menfi denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Sito dell'Ulmo is a Merlot built to develop. Older releases like 2014 and 2016 show better 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.
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.
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 small oak barrels 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.
Winery
Menfi
Made at Planeta, Menfi. Directions
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 three major critics, Vinous among them, 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.
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. Drinkers reach for it most with 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 oak 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 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 →
Small-barrel 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 small-barrel oak behind it and older vintages still drinking well, strong Sito dell'Ulmo releases hold for a decade. The way 2014 and 2016 show today makes 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.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Fourteen months in small oak barrels, firm tannin and the way 2014 and 2016 still show point to a decade of cellaring.
£21.50 for a 75cl bottle of the 2021, at XtraWine, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 28 Oct 2026, 09:01 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic. Drinkers score it 3.9 out of 5 from 5,243 ratings on Vivino.
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 small oak barrels. Leather and a balsamic, earthy depth grow 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 show better 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 have scored around 93 points, Vinous among them.
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