Palate

Well built, forest fruits and sunny orange peel flavors, long and layered taste

Growing Conditions

Winery: Zisola, Noto, Sicilia

- Vineyards location: 130 m.a.s.l.; S/E exposure
- Soil: Medium texture, calcareous and mineral
- Vineyards age: 11 - 16 years
- Training system: Head-pruned bush vines
- Nr. of vines per hectare: 5.550 plants


Harvest

Hand picked from September 23rd

Bottling

November 2020

Winemaking

- Fermentation temperature: 26 - 28 °C
- Period of maceration: 14 - 16 days

Winter temperatures were lower than average, with some frosts and a moderate amount of rain which gave the plants a healthy start. Mild spring temperatures aided vegetative growth and fruit set, which ended with the onset of heat on 3 June. It was an atypical summer for Sicily, with unstable temperatures that at times soared above 40°C (104°F) but also dropped off sharply at night, and constant light showers. This pushed the harvest back to ten days later than in previous years. The end result, however, was very satisfactory: a range of elegant wines fully in line with Zisola’s qualitative standards.

Beginning of the harvest: September 4th
End of the harvest: October 14th
Rainfalls (sum of rainfall between April 1st and September 30th): 185 mm
Temperature Index (sum of average daily temperatures from April 1st to September 30th): 4108 °C
Evaluation: Good

Aging

10 months in small french oak barrels (225 lt / 33% new)

Food Pairing

Spicy fish soups, savoury pasta and rice dishes, grilled red meats and vegetables