Tenuta di Fessina Etna Bianco ‘A Puddara’ 2020

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Tenuta Fessina

Silvia Maestrelli fell in love with the small farmhouse and ancient vineyard in Contrada Moscamento, Rovittello in Etna’s North on a holiday to Sicily in the mid 00’s, a property which was to become Tenuta di Fessina in 2007 under the team of winemaker Silvia, her husband, Roberto Silva, and winemaker Federico Curtaz. The terroir of the vineyards is composed of centuries-old lava deposits that yield strikingly individual wines. In addition to the main estate, the winery includes two additional vineyards — a tribute to Sicily’s incredibly fertile, bountiful landscape.

Sadly, Silvia passed away in 2022 aged just 54. Silvia was at the forefront as Etna enters a new era of fine winemaking, it brims with potential for innovation. Her daughter, Lavinia, together with Silvia’s protege for almost 10 years Jacopo Maniaci continue her work.

Tenuta di Fessina treads the fine line between innovation and tradition superbly. Silvia is one of the first female winemakers on the volcano, Tenuta di Fessina not only explores the potential of Etna’s terroir, but also the region’s unique ecosystem and biodiversity. The estate’s approach to winegrowing is established on respect for this environment, producing wines in a modern style while still capturing Etna’s unique sense of place and winemaking heritage.

This just scratches the surface of what makes Tenuta di Fessina such a fascinating winemaking project. To go deeper, watch the video below and take a virtual tour of this amazing part of the world.

Silvia Maestrelli has created a winery with a focus on producing the native varieties in their natural habitat, Nerello and Nero d’Avola for the reds, and Carricante for the superb Etna Bianco, these wines are crafted by the land not the maker.

“Etna immediately imposed a gravitational influence on me. After my first taste of Nerello Mascalese I searched for years to find the perfect terroir to show exactly the expression of this land that I had in mind. Then I found Fessina, with rocks pitched just like the old walls of a French clos, with the most fine and elegant soil. Since then, Fessina has been home”

Silvia Maestrelli.

In the Vineyard

The vineyards are located in contrada Rovittello. This well established site boasts vines averaging 70 years old. Positioned 700 metres aboves sea level, the site enjoys a north-easterly exposition.

Rovittello

Rovittello, the pulsating heart of Fessina, is gathered between two semi-circular lava flows, a nest that brings to mind the ancient concept of French clos. The soil is fine and deep, composed mainly of pumice, fine destructured clays and ancient powders. The terroir has centenarians rootstocks, mainly consisting of Alberelli of Nerello Mascalese, a small portion of Nerello Cappuccio and some plants of Carricante and Minnella. Terraces mark the centuries dividing the various genotypes and the various ages. This cauldron of biodiversity is revealed hidden, an amphitheater that protects and develops a unique specificity that gives it feminine, irony and finely spicy notes. The approximately 8000 plants per hectare and the difference of genotypical character and age are a clear  symbol of peasant agriculture on the volcano, made of ancient handmade vineyards, tradition and history.

In the Winery

After a careful selection of the fruit in the vineyard, the grapes are triaged again on a sorting belt in the cellar. The fruit is then crushed without de-stemming and gently pressed, with separation of the musts in cold static decantation. The wine ferments in large 3500L French oak barrels and subsequently ages for 6-8 months in bottle prior to release.

The 2020 Vintage at Tenuta Fessina

The 2020 vintage is a vintage of excellent quality on the entire northern side, possibly one of the best of the current decade, the winter recorded a high percentage of rains (+600 mm) which formed an excellent reserve for the future season. The spring was warm and mild, with a slight acceleration of the vegetative phase, while the summer was dry and basically rainless, with a great concentration and thickening of the bloom. The first refreshing and necessary precipitations arrived four months after the last, toning the vineyard and bringing the phenolic ripening back into line. September and October were cool and mild, with a healthy and high quality harvest.

Where in the World is Tenuta Fessina?

I thought I’d share these maps to help you get your head around Etna and it’s place in Sicily. The first map gives you the big picture. The second highlights the general area planted on Etna, mostly South to South-East facing. The third shows most, but, not all of the Contrada (single vineyards) and their relative elevations.

Fessina is in Rovitello around Catena to the North-West of Linguaglossa.