On the Road with the Grape Guy
Visit to Icario Winery
07 Apr 2025- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(February 2024) ... Icario winery was established in 1998. It takes its name from mythology: the first winemaker was named Icario, which was the name given to him by Bacchus. The farm is 50 hectares of which 25 hectares are planted to grapes: 70% Sangiovese (40 years old) with the rest equal parts white (Trebbiano, Riesling, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer) and red (Merlot and Cabernet); all sitting between 360 and 480 meters above sea level.
The area is excellent for grape growing because of the good diurnal temperatures, which can fluctuate 10+ degrees during the night, especially during the important months of July and August. Current production is approximately 100,000 bottles, with a target of hitting the 150,000 mark. The remaining part of the property is olive trees and forest.
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The Wines …
Icario 2022 Nysa Bianco IGT 
- 50% Trebbiano / 20% Gewurztraminer (body) / 10% Riesling (minerality) / 20% Chardonnay (tropical) -
Pretty minerality, with a floral and spicy component. (*** ½+)
Icario 2020 Nysa Rosso IGT
- 60% Sangiovese / 20% Merlot / 20% Cabernet Sauvignon -
(12 months barrel - 2 yrs aged in tank) - Notes of dark berries and cherry fruit mixed with mocha, coffee bean, cedar, and a touch of herbal. (*** ½+)
Icario 2022 Trebbiano IGT
- 100% Trebbiano -
Sunflower and grapefruit rind with a long finish. (*** ½)
Icario 2022 Rosso di Montepulciano
- 80% Sangiovese / 20% Merlot -
The Merlot is added to this wine to make it more approachable, sooner; it is also aged 6 months in big barrels. Fresh, light and delicious, with cherry, raspberry, and strawberry fruit - it's a red fruit bowl of deliciousness; while the tannins and acidity help to balance it out nicely. (****)
Icario 2017 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
- 90% Sangiovese / 10% Colorino -
Very hot season – yet the wine shows a fresh mouthfeel with red berries, mocha, and a good acid seam that appears on the finish - almost ready. Give it another year, maybe two. (older vintage)
Icario 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 
- 90% Sangiovese / 10% Colorino -
Very rainy season helped plump up the grapes (that's the positive spin) - but then sunny and warm at the end (that's what you want) ... Elegant and fresh with tannins that show up early in the mouth and kick around to the finish; but there is also plenty of fruit backing it up - drink 5+ years (up to 12). (older vintage)
Icario 2019 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
- 90% Sangiovese / 10% Colorino -
The fruit really pushes its way to the fore, both on the nose and palate, where elegance and opulence meet. The red fruit shines, the tannins are well-integrated, and the acidity is on-point. (****+)
Icario 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva - Vitaroccia
- 95% Sangiovese / 5% Cabernet Sauvignon -
The wine is named after a river on the property, the name means "life of the stone" ... Spicy, yet elegant, good fruit composition that shows a darker side of Sangiovese - black fruit, namely dark plum with elegant tannins. Small 5000 bottles production. (****+)
Icario 2018 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Selezione - Sansasia
- Sangiovese -
This is the best expression of the Sangiovese from the property. Good modern fruit character: cherry, plum, mocha, blackberry, and cassis - 10% is created in an older appassimento style (drying grapes); while only 2000 bottles are production. (****)
