GRAPES
70% Chardonnay, 30% Viognier
VINEYARD AREA
Selected vineyards in the southern area on the Island of Sicily.
Training method includes both the Spurred Cordon and the Guyot method, with an average plant density of 5.500 plants per hectare.
HARVEST
Manual harvest occurs in the middle of August. Harvest is carried out only during the cooler parts of the day, from early in the morning until 11 am.
VINIFICATION
The two grapes are vinified separately. Both the Chardonnay and the Viognier grapes are de-stemmed and then softly pressed. The must is then chilled to 10’C and left to rest for 48 hours. Once fermentation has started in Stainless steel tanks, 20% of the Chardonnay must is placed in new French oak barriques, will in ferment there. Fermentation is carried out using selected yeasts at a controlled temperature of 17’C and lasts approximately 10 days. Following fermentation, the oak fermented Chardonnay is left in the barriques for another 5 months, where frequent batonage is carried out to stir the wine and maximize extraction from the lees. The rest of the wine which has fermented in Stainless Steel tanks wine is chilled down to 10’C to avoid malolactic fermentation and left on its lees for 60 days to maximize its aromas.
The wines are then blended together in February.
AGING
20% of Chardonnay fermented and aged in new French barriques for 5 months.
ALCHOHOL
13%