Click to enlarge

CONTRADA SCIARANUOVA 2008

Viticulturally, the 08 vintage starts in 07 when vines had come to November unstressed from a tempered year and ready to enter the winter’s rest well-nourished. There then was good fertilizing from repeated snowfalls on the mountain, and the hot three months of July, August and September were not able to stress the plants enough to stop their quick passing through growing and ripening stages; some tiredness from the dried soils came in October, but rains were already at the horizon, and carried water in just the right quantity. They made the year a great vintage, with us picking continuously from the 23rd to the end of the month.

One of the great crus of Mount Etna (the others being Guardiola and Porcaria). Is set at about 850 meters a.s.l., above Passopisciaro Paisty lava comes apart like wet coal in a channel that for most of the winter reaches to the snow and is sun exposed all day. The wines are deep, large-fleshed, and have a rich taste of fermented hay. We make wine from 1 hectare of vines of Nerello Mascalese that we hold in this Contrada. The plants are 80 years old.