Nose
This wine offers an elegant bouquet of wild berry notes, violets and delicate nuances of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Palate
The characteristics of the nose continue through to the palate, supported by freshness and harmonious tannins. The finish is long and balanced.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for this wine are grown in vineyards on the north side of Etna, in five districts between Randazzo and Passopiscaro, at altitudes of 730-750 metres above sea level. Soils there are volcanic, deep and rich in minerals, and allow strong root growth. Vines are trained to Vertical Shoot Position, and are planted at a density of about 4,500 plants per hectare.
Despite the relatively dry weather, snow in January covered the vineyards and slowly released a significant supply of water into the ground, replenishing water reserves. Green pruning was carried out between June and July to maintain balance in the vineyards and allow the grapes to mature fully. The high summer temperatures resulted in an earlier ripening, about 10 days earlier than usual. Yields were slightly down, but quality was high and wines from this vintage exhibit excellent freshness and aromatic intensity.
Harvest
Harvest was carried out by hand between 5th-12th October.
Winemaking
Once the clusters reached the winery, they underwent selection on a vibrating table, followed by a final selection, this time by a machine capable of discarding the green and overripe grapes. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks with maceration on the skins for 8-10 days at a temperature of 25°C.
- Winemakers: Antonio Rallo, Antonino Santoro, Pietro Russo
Aging
Ageing took place partly in stainless steel and partly in second and third use French oak barriques for 14 months. After bottling, the wine spent a further seven months in bottle before release.
Appearance
Pale ruby red in the glass.
