Nose
An explosion of aromas of ripe fruit and the aromatic load of white flowers which magically transport the drinker to the slopes of the volcano.
Palate
On the palate the wine also succeeds in combining softness and boldness of taste with a drinkability rich with the authentic fruitiness of lemon peel and green apple, linked to a fascinating minerality which prolongs the finish.
Growing Conditions
This wine is produced from Carricante grapes partially fermented in barrels at our winery Feudo di Mezzo in the heart of Etnean wine cultivation. We have developed a contemporary expression of this vine, cultivated in the splendid and unique terroir of Etna.
Our team has never before experienced a harvest so closely as that of 2020 or with greater attention. One must say ‘virtue comes of necessity’. The vineyard was at the centre of our lives, and of our care. Nature, differently to humanity, never stops, and we were behind it. Almost as if it wished to excuse itself, we were supported with well-timed rainfall and a particularly mild summer in the whole of Sicily. This gave rise to a memorable harvest, somewhat miserly in quantity but forever perfect on grounds of quality.
Rainfall on Etna was equivalent to the decade’s average, even if the distribution differed from the norm; January and February were dry, instead July and August provided some well-timed rain which, on the volcano, are fundamental for quality. This is a vintage that with some thermal leaps in the summer and autumn showed again the hierarchy of altitude that by now we have observed for several years; better high up than down in the valleys!
- TYPE OF SOIL: perfectly positioned and exposed ground, black with lava sands and due to this extraordinarily rich in minerals with abundant structure of large dimensions, surrounded by woods and more recent lava flows.
- ALTITUDE: 690–720 metres above sea level.
- TRAINING SYSTEM: espalier with Guyot pruning system.
- PLANTING DENSITY: 5.050 plants per hectare.
- METHOD OF CULTIVATION: according to the criteria of organic agriculture and SOStain® protocols; ground cover of wild plants to augment the organic matter, and increasing the strength of the soil’s microfauna; plant health defended with small quantities of sulphur and copper; phytophages attacked with effective insects, sexual confusion and applying natural restoratives such as zeolite, kaolin and vegetable extracts.
Harvest
YIELD PER HECTARE: 88 quintal.
HARVESTING PERIOD: 6th -7th and 23rd -24th October
Bottling
August 2021
- BOTTLE SIZE: 0,75 l; 1,5 l
- WEIGHT OF BOTTLE: 400 g (0,75 l)
- CORK: single-piece natural cork; DIAM®.
Winemaking
The grapes are gathered manually into creates of 15-17 kg, they are immediately refrigerated at 6-8 °C for one night, and the following day are selected by hand on a vibrating table and sent for a light destalking and soft pressing. The must is decanted for 3/4 days, after being transferred and fermented at about 15 °C, 80% in stainless steel tanks, and 20% of the volume in 25 and 50 hl in oak barrels and in Nevers and Allier casks.
Aging
Maturation in the same containers until March with agitation of the fine lees.
Appearance
A very faint golden colour.
Food Pairing
An extraordinary companion to fishbased dishes of a certain oiliness and thus ideal for any gastronomic hopes entertained beside the sea.
