Grillo DOC Sicilia Bianco "Vino di Contrada"

Italy
Sicily
2022

100% Grillo. In 2016, Arianna acquired new property and planted four plots of Grillo, totaling two hectares. These vines are in the contrada of Santa Margherita ("SM" with a cheeky strike-through on the label since contrada names are not legal) in Chiaramonte Gulfi, at the foot of the Iblei mountains, just north of Vittoria. They are planted on hillsides surrounded by pine forest, old oaks and ancient olive trees at almost 500 meters altitude, far higher up than Occhipinti's Vittoria vineyards. This area is quite cool, buffeted by winds constantly and at the furthest extreme for ripening grapes. The marine soils are sandy calcareous marl of ancient origin. The farming is certified-organic and the harvest by hand. The grapes were destemmed and fermented spontaneously in concrete tank with a 24-hour maceration. The wine was aged for a year in a combination of concrete and Slavonian oak botte and bottled without fining or filtering. 2020 was the first vintage of the wine.

93 points
"The 2022 Bianco Vini di Contrada SM is impossible to ignore as a captivating blend of crushed rocks and flint mixes with vanilla, raw almond and young peach. It’s mineral-intense, with a cascade of tart orchard fruits propelled by zesty acidity. Sour citrus adds cheek-puckering tension throughout. This cleans up beautifully, gently tannic and long with a resonance of lemon zest and hints of sour melon that linger on and on. The Vini di Contrada is a varietal Grillo planted in sandy, calcareous soils at 500 meters in Chiaramonte Gulfi, just north of Vittoria."
Eric Guido,
Vinous Media
June 2024

SKU/Code: 
DB3794-22
Product Line: 
Wine
White
Varietal: 
Grillo
Farming Type: 
Biodynamic