Description
This is a very unique and special red wine. Created from an endemic and nearly extinct grape, Perricone’s color is almost a deep purple red, fading to violet at the rim. The nose is earthy, with notes of leather and dried red fruits. Lovely and curious with hints of rose petals in the background. It’s a dry, medium body, well structured wine, with beautiful acidity that fills the mouth with refreshment. Dark fruits like plum and black cherry, almost rustic, cover the entire palate. The finish is fruity with medium high tannins. Letting this breathe for 20 minutes allows notes of oak aging and alcohol to settle. Pairs well with red meats.
Perricone is Sicily’s most ancient varietal dating back over 2,500 years. The grape can be found all over Sicily but its spiritual home is at the top of the Madonie Mountains; around 900 meters above sea level. Castellucci Miano was the first producer in Sicily to make a monovarietal of Perricone, believing in its potential. Other producers were using it as a blending grape and most abandoned it. Silver Medal Winner at the New York International Wine Competition beating almost all conventional Italian wines. This is what the Italians call “vino di meditazione” or “meditation wine” because of its complexity that slowly reveals itself sip by sip. Perricone is an ancient varietal that survived the ages. Crafted for the Italian wine enthusiast and eclectic collector. The aromatics and flavors are so unique that they should be placed on the endangered species list.
Growing methods utilized include espalier and sapling. The average age of the perricone vines in the vineyard is 20-30 years. The vines are pruned using the guyot method and spur-pruning. Yield of grapes is kept per hectare 70/90 qls. The Madonie Mountain soil is half sandy and clay with alkyl reaction due to the limestone. Grape harvest happens in mid October. Fermentation traditional red with pump over during tumultuous fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is allowed to complete. The secondary fermentation is kept in stainless steel tanks for three months, transferred to small French oak barrels for 10 months and then bottle aged for another six months before being released to market. Tipology DOC Sicilia. Production: 9,000 bottles annual.
Read more about Castellucci Miano’s winery and vineyards on Italy’s island of Sicily.