The 2018 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Campo Reale is a very stripped-down and simple expression of the Sicilian grape that offers varietally pure aromas of black olive, caper and wild fennel. The tannins are soft, and this informal wine would pair with pizza topped with sausage and black olive. This vintage is a bit watery and thin.

The easy-drinking 2017 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Campo Reale presents ripe and dark fruit flavors of blackberry, summer cherry and plum. You also get those varietal notes of black olive and caper that are so common to Nero d'Avola. The wine is simple, smooth and silky on the finish. Most of this wine is executed in stainless steel, with a tiny part in large oak casks. Bottle production is 220,000 units strong.

Compared to the other value wines released by Tenuta Rapitalà this year, the 2015 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Campo Reale is slightly more subdued and closed. The wine offers dark fruit nuances with blackberry and dried cherry upfront. The mouthfeel shows a little less heft and more persistence instead. This is a high volume wine with 245,000 bottles produced.

The 2014 Sicilia Nero d'Avola Campo Reale shows distinctive aromas of this Sicilian grape with garden greens, spice, dark fruit and crushed pistachio. There's also a note of fresh fennel, dill or green caper that I often find in Nero d'Avola. It reminds me of the lush vegetation common to Sicily in the springtime. The mouthfeel is raw and tight with sour cherry flavors that make your mouth pucker.

This is an easy expression of Nero d’Avola, and it would pair with roasted ham or cheese ravioli in meat sauce. Bright cherry and blueberry notes come with a touch of bitter almond. — (3/1/2013) —87