Lemon/lime in color, this wine—coming from a cooler 2022 vintage—offers attractive aromas of white flowers and citrus. On the palate it is fresh and dry, with generous flavors of lemon and grapefruit, refreshing acidity, and a savory, mineral finish.
Palmento Bianco is made from organically grown native Sicilian white grapes cultivated across four distinct terroirs throughout the island. The grapes are harvested by hand and taken to the winery on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, below the village of Solicchiata, for vinification. The varieties are fermented separately and then blended to create a fresh, dry, and mineral-driven island white wine.
The 2023 blend of Palmento Bianco is composed of 40% Carricante from high-altitude vineyards on Etna North in Contrada Crasa. 30% is Inzolia, grown on limestone-clay soils in Vittoria, in the southeastern part of the island. 20% is Grillo, sourced from the mineral-rich sandy “terra rossa” soils of Marsala. The remaining 10% is Catarratto, harvested from the rolling hills surrounding Alcamo, in the island’s northwestern corner.
Inzolia was harvested first, at the end of August. It was 100% whole-cluster pressed and fermented in a used 20 hl oak cask. This variety adds pronounced floral notes and textural structure to the final blend. Grillo was harvested next; all bunches were hand-destemmed into several large vats (10 hl food-grade plastic tanks) and left to macerate for 4–5 days, with daily punch-downs by foot or by hand. The fermenting must was then pressed into 11 hl chestnut casks. Catarratto was harvested afterward and also macerated, but only for 48 hours to extract texture and flavor from the skins. Finally, Carricante was harvested and directly pressed into one 11 hl chestnut cask and a stainless steel tank.
Each parcel fermented to dryness with indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously, and the components were blended at the end of October. The finished wine remained on its fine lees and was bottled at the beginning of February 2023 without fining or filtration.
