Home > Producer Profiles > Italian Profiles > Inycon Estate

Inycon Estate

The Inycon Estate wines are produced in Sicily by the Settesoli Co-operative, as a joint venture with UK importer Enotria Winecellars, and are named after the ancient Greek name for the town of Menfi, Inycon, which is also the name of the local wine festival. This is a formidable co-operative, with over 2300 members who own over 6500 hectares of vineyards. Unsurprisingly, with such a huge membership, the co-operative has access to a wide range of varieties, including traditional local grapes such as Grecanico and Nero d'Avola, as well as large plantings of international varieties such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

The Chardonnay is made using hand-harvested and destemmed grapes. A gentle crushing is followed by a very short cold soak for up to six hours, which precedes a cold fermentation using cultured yeasts. The wine receives six months bottle age before release onto the market. All these features are designed to increase freshness and flavour. The Merlot, like the Chardonnay, is harvested by hand and destemmed, before a gentle crush, and a maceration of up to twelve days. A somewhat warmer fermentation precedes a light pressing and a malolactic fermentation. This wine also receives six months bottle age prior to release. The Syrah is handled in essentially the same as the Merlot, with hand harvesting, destemming, gentle pressing following fermentation and full malolactic. This wine, however, does receive up to fifteen months barrel maturation. (30/10/01)

Contact details:
Address: SS 115, 92013 Menfi
Telephone: +39 0925 77111
Fax: +39 0925 77142
Internet: www.cantinesettesoli.it

Inycon Estate - Tasting Notes

Click to locate stockists.

Inycon Fiano 2002: A nice mid-golden colour. The nose is lovely, full of pears and stone fruits, with a bare, tropical edge, notes of Mediterranean herbs and sea salt. Quite full and rounded on entry, although like all wines it is sensitive to serving temperature - served a little too cool it seemed thin and hollow on the palate. Stony, slightly fat, peachy fruit, with good texture. Plenty of grip, with a very dry, pine kernel infused finish. Delicious stuff, and great value for money. 16/20 (September 2003) Label

Inycon Chardonnay 2000: A pleasing wine which offers up some fresh and lively tropical fruit aromas, with a honeyed, buttery edge. There is a lovely texture on entry, although overall the wine is quite light and balanced. There is more tropical fruit, lifted by an undercurrent of zippy acidity. The only fault is a bitter astringency that quickly comes to dominate the endpalate and finish, but otherwise this is a good example of cold fermented Chardonnay. 14/20 (October 2001)

Inycon Merlot 2000: A fairly deep red colour here. On the nose, some worrisome aromas of raisined fruit dominate, later developing sweet confection and candy notes, rather like a flat cola drink. Similar confected flavours, with more raisined fruit, on the palate. Despite the sweetness on the nose it is fairly dry, with a chalky sensation to the tannins and some slightly harsh acidity. But it is the raisined fruit that seems most prominent. This is awful stuff. 11/20 (October 2001)

Inycon Syrah 2000: A rich and dark colour, and I'm hopeful that this may be a little more drinkable, but my hopes are dashed. This proves to be an equally convincing example of bad winemaking as the Merlot. The nose brings to mind liquid raisins, with perhaps a coating of chocolate. On the palate, a full body and soft texture can do nothing to appease the flavour of raisins, raisins and more raisins. It's only saving grace is that it has none of the candy and cola flavours of the Merlot. I've never had a wine which has been so obviously made from poor fruit, raisined either in the vineyard, or as the handpicked fruit sat in the hot Mediterranean sun awaiting vinification. What a shame. 11/20 (October 2001)