Gaja ~ October 2024 Offer

Named for Angelo Gaja’s youngest daughter Rossana (Rossj)

Grapes: 90% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc
Region/Appellation: Langhe D.O.P sourced from Barbaresco & Serralunga
Winemaking: Steel fermentation and aging in oak for six months.

The ‘historical’ vineyards that remain the core (at present) of Rossj-Bass are situated predominantly in the Barbaresco commune – Cru’s of Pozzo, Bricco & Faset alongside a vineyard in neighbouring Treiso commune in the Pajore Cru. There are also three historical vineyards in the South West as the crow flies from Barbaresco in Serralunga d’Alba, named sites of Feja & Vivaldo 1 e 2.

However it’s perhaps Gaja’s new ‘project in Langhe Alta that we should shine a light on to better understand their vision for the future of their whites in the region. With the increasing average temperatures of Barbaresco they began searching for a new potential site to plant white varietals. This came to fruition in the form of some abandoned vineyards with amazing potential sitting at 650 metres above sea level in the Alta Langhe zone, situated SE of the Barbaresco zone, around the communes of Trezzo, Mango and Borgomale. Planting began of predominantly Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc retaining the natural unique shape of the existing terracing.

Adding to the site a brand new winery built specifically for them to vinify all their white wines. Full production of all whites began here from the 2023 vintage.

Rossj-Bass is predominantly Chardonnay with a touch of Sauvignon Blanc. The Alta Langhe component at present only represents a small portion of the overall blend due to the youth of the vineyards but this component will expand as the vines mature.

Legendary long lived Chardonnay named for Gaia Gaja and her grandmother, Clothilde Rey.

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

A wine that perhaps needs no formal introduction but most certainly deserves one, especially if you are just starting your vinous journey with Gaja. Arguably Italy’s most iconic Chardonnay and at the time of creation a very controversial one when it was first released in 1983. Planting Chardonnay within in the boundaries of Barbaresco DOCG in Treiso was unthinkable yet now most would acknowledge it was just one of several innovative thoughts/ideas from Angelo Gaja that challenged the traditions of the region and cemented the estate as one of the greatest producers of Italy if not fine wine globally.

Named after Lucia and Angelo Gaja’s daughter, Gaia Gaja and Angelo Gaja’s grandmother Clotilde Rey.

Gaia & Rey Chardonnay is produced from two separated vineyards in the Langhe district: Giacosa planted in 1979 in Treiso and Rivettte in Serralunga d’Alba planted in 1989. Total of approximately 5.5 hectares planted specifically with Chardonnay between these vineyards for Gaia & Rey.

At present the wine continues to be 100% from these two sites but with the recently planting of Chardonnay in the Langhe Alta by Gaja it’s expected as these vines mature a component will be included from these higher altitude vineyards. From the 2023 vintage this wine will be solely made at the new winery in the Langhe Alta which Gaja has built specifically for the pursuit of producing their white wines.

100% fermented in barrel and the wine goes through full malolactic. 6 to 8 months elevage in barrel.

Taking its name from that of the original vineyard.

Grapes: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot
Region/Appellation: Mainly Pajorè in Treiso, Barbaresco & Serralunga, Barolo
Winemaking: Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and oak casks.

This wine has evolved it’s blend of varieties to just Nebbiolo & Barbera which has happened as a consequence of Gaja’s decision to revert their iconic single vineyard Barbaresco’s of Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tilden and Costa Russi back to 100% Nebbiolo. This has however ‘free’d up’ some wonderful old vine Barbera that was previously being blended into these wines and is now part of the Sito Moresco bottling.

Most of the fruit comes from Pajore in Treiso and vineyards in Serralunga. 60% Nebbiolo, 40% Barbera.

The Nebbiolo and Barbera components are fermented separately plot by plot. Fermented in a mix of tank and oak then blended in oak in oak for 12 months.

Taking its name from the Gromis family, an expression of two great terroirs of Barolo.

Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Region/Appellation: Serralunga & La Morra
Winemaking: The grapes from each single vineyard are fermented, macerated and aged for 12 months completely separately. They are then blended and further aged in oak for another 18 months.

Dagromis Barolo is a blend of 7 different vineyards over the communes of La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba. Silio, Serra dei Turchi, Cerequio from La Morra & 4 from Serralunga: Rivette, Broglio, Margheria, Colombaio. There is a beautiful mosaic here of both vine age and terrior, ranging from vines planted in 1965 in Silio in La Morra on deep compact clay silt soils to Broglio in Serralunga where the soils are sandy, light & soft.

Each vineyard is fermented separately followed by maceration then aged in oak for 12 months, predominantly french oak. The differing sites are then blended and further aged in oak for another 18 months in Slovanian oak Botti.

The flagship wine of the Gaja family. Benchmark Nebbiolo blended from 14 vineyards.

Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Region/Appellation: 14 vineyards situated in the municipality of Barbaresco. The land, at a height between 250 and 330m above the sea level, covers a surface of 21.4 hectares. The plants are 40 years old on average.
Winemaking: The grapes, coming from each single vineyard, separately undergo fermentation, maceration and ageing in oak for 12 months. Then they are blended and further aged in oak for another 12 months.

Barbaresco. Rare is it in the modern wine world where just one producer within a region is so intrinsically linked to the name itself. Gaja’s innovation and bravery at a time when no-one really cared for Barbaresco has helped all boats rise with the tide in a region that was over shadowed by it’s bigger brother Barolo for generations.

Gaja’s Barbaresco is sourced from 14 different vineyards over the communes of Barbaresco and Treiso. The Barbaresco vineyards of Loreto, Castello, Masue’, Faset, Rocagliette, Roncaglie Vecchio, Roncaglie Nuovo, Bernino, Bricco, Trifolera, Valdrapp blended with the Treiso vineyards of Pajore’, Sotto, Pajore’ Sopra, Pajore’ Universita’.

The grapes are fermented separately plot by plot & aged separately for 12 months if French oak. The component parts are then blended then aged another 12 months in Slavonian oak botti.

The Ca’Marcanda land was purchased in 1996 after a long search for the best terroir. It was chosen after extensive research using land zoning maps which isolated and pointed out the specific vine growing suitability of clay-limestone soils at the foot of the hills. To find land with their specific requirements they had to settle on a property not already planted to vineyards. After over 19 meetings with the previous owners the 70ha site was settled on at the end of 1996. The name Ca’Marcanda is derived from these protracted negotiations and is a term in the Piedmontese dialect that means ‘house of endless negotiations’ and specifically refers to the Tuscan peoples love of deal making. Vineyard planting started in 1997. In 2010 another 20ha was purchased in neighbouring Bibbona which now includes the white varieties planted specifically to produce the white wine Vistamare. The winery on the property began construction in 1998 and is built into the landscape with over 80% constructed underground.

THE TERROIR

Ca’Marcanda consists of two main soil types. Firstly white soils which are found higher up the slope towards the hills and are considered the best. These are categorised by being predominately limestone and clay. The clay is found in the top 30cm of the soil profile and then as you go deeper, limestone dominates. These white soils are degraded, shallow and low vigor soils. The second soil type, dark soils have a higher sand component and have been formed by alluvial wash coming down off the hills, deeper in profile with clay and iron oxide. These more fertile soils result in juicier wine with fruiter notes and higher concentration.

Giovanni Gaja really wanted to stress there are three main influences on the region. Firstly it is an area of light and this is a crucial factor that drives the climate here and therefore the wines. This light has two sources. The first source is the sun. Bolgheri is situated on the Mediterranean and experiences hot summers and mild winters. Rain is concentrated between April and May and then October and November. The second source is reflected light, both off the hills behind the region and the sea, the estate being only 5km from the sea. However even though it is hot and sunny there is constant mitigating cool winds coming down from the hills and warm winds coming up off the sea. These cool and warm winds mix, resulting in air that is never still which acts like an air-conditioner for the vineyards. This is the second major influence on the region. Finally, the third factor is the soils. The soils of Bolgheriare all marine limestones in origin. Only sites in Bolgheri that sat above 600m were above sea level until 14,000 years ago. In fact until the 1920’s much of the area was swamp land and only drained during that time under Mussolini. Today Bolgheri has 27 different soil types and counting.

THE JOURNEY OF BOLGHERI DOP

Until the current DOC regulations were laid down in 1994 Sassicaia and the other Super Tuscan wines produced here were usually sold as Vino da Tavola or Toscana IGT. Today a Bolgheri Rosso, Rosso Superiore or Rosé may be made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or a blend combining one or more of these, and/or up to 50 percent of Syrah or Sangiovese. Other red grapes such as Petit Verdot may account for up to 30 percent. Wines made from other grape varieties or nonconforming blend percentages are classified as IGT. Earlier DOC regulations prevented monovarietal wines from being produced as Bolgheri Rosso. Today Ca’Marcanda produces two wines under the Bolghero DOC, Magari & Camarcanda. The other two wines are released under the Toscano IGP.

The only white wine produced at Ca’Marcanda is a blend of predominantly Vermentino at 70% then 20% Fiano and 10% Viognier. All varieties are vinified separately. The Vermentino is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and the Viognier in barrel. Elevage is for 6 months then blended and bottled. The wine is actually classified as Toscana IGP as the Vistamare vineyard is found outside the Bolgheri DOC in neighbouring Bibbona. The name Vistamare means ‘sea view’ as the site in Bibbona overlooks the Tyrrhenian coastline.

A blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah and 10% Sangiovese. The Promis is sourced from vineyards across Bolgheri and Bibbona with the majority in Bibbona on only dark soils rich in clay. The three varieties are fermented cool separately over 15 days. All varieties retain 15-20% whole bunch in the ferment and are then aged in a mixture of Tonneau and Barrique. The name Promis, derived from the Italian word for promise is in reference to the Gaja family’s commitment to bringing and producing world class wines from the region.

Composed of 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot off a mix of both white and dark soils. As always the varieties are vinified separately with a 15% whole bunch component. After this the wine moves to oak for 12 months around which 25% is new. The vineyards are all situated near the winery all within Bolgheri DOC and classified as such.

This wine takes its name from the estate and is entirely from vineyards within Bolgheri DOC. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc grapes grown only on the white soils rich in clay and limestone. Vinified separately with 20% whole bunch in the ferment. Ca’Marcanda spends 12 months in 25% new oak, 70% in Tonneau and 30% in Barrique. After this the wine is blended to concrete and spends another 12 months there before being bottled.

Pieve Santa Restituta is located in the Tavernelle region of Montalcino, Tuscany, and the estate showcases Gaja’s commitment to excellence in Sangiovese based wines. Acquired by Gaja in 1994 it was the family’s first expansion outside the area of Barbaresco and Barolo. The estate had 27ha of established vineyards there, and wine production dates back to the 12th century.

The Pieve (Church) on the property dates back to 462 AD. When purchased, registers were found from the monks referring to the vineyards of Rennina and Sugarille. These were very early on identified as ideal sites for wine production. The church is still consecrated and one of only three dedicated to Saint Restituta in Italy. The winery is named after this church situated in the middle of the estate, surrounded by the Rennina and Sugarille vineyards.

The first wine produced under the name Pieve Santa Restituta was in 1974 but the first vintage produced by Gaja family was in 1995. All three wines are produced at the estate – A Brunello di Montalcino blended from multiple sites and two single site expressions, Rennina and Sugarille.

THE VINEYARDS

The winery, home to their two Cru wines, Sugarille and Rennina, is located in the southwest of the appellation, at approximately 350 meters above sea level in Tavernelle. Choosing this elevation was a strategic decision, as it offers protection from spring frosts—a challenge they’ve never faced at Pieve Santa Restituta. This middle elevation also means it is low enough that is warm during the day but at night cool air drops down from the hills and there is a large diurnal temperature variation.

In 2005 the Gaja’s purchased another 9ha in the NE part of Montalcino, Torrenieri, 280m above sea level and the vineyard is known as Deserti. Here the soils are less complex, mostly clay and sand. The clay component is crucial in the soil here at this lower altitude as it helps maintain moisture in the soil.

More recently, in 2017, the Gaja’s purchased 5ha around Bolsignano, 450m above sea level, protected by woods and consists of more clay and galestro. Along with this, a second site, Passo Lume Spento, just near the town of Montalcino, 630m above sea level, was purchased in 2020. While these two vineyards are not currently producing they will be key moving forward for the estate as thye will give more robustness and the advantage of being able to adapt and use in the Brunello blend vintage to vintage. Initially, these will go into the blended Brunello di Montalcino but after a few years when the vines mature, they believe there will also be a single vineyard expression from these sites. They deliberately purchased both as they are cooler elevated sites to mitigate global warming and be able to maintain the freshness that they want to express in all the Pieve Santa Resituta wines.

WHAT IS GALESTRO LIMESTONE AND WHY IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE SUGARILLE TERROIR?

In colour, it’s a lot more yellow than you would consider more typical examples of limestone such as the Kimmeridgian soils of Chablis or say Sancerre.

“The best definition I can find for galestro is that penned by wine writer and Tuscan wine expert Monty Waldin as “a rock formation of stone (mudstone or clay but not compact clay) and sand which will become clay, but has not yet reached the full clay stage.

Luca Bellingardi of the Villa Poggio Salvi estate in Montalcino told me “in Montalcino mainly it is rocky soil, a typical rock called galestro, which is dusty and very dry. This is a soil that seems quite hard, but it’s actually very soft. In fact, you can break it easily if you snap it in two. For this reason the vine roots can easily go down in the soil to find water, and this gives a lot of minerality to the wine. This extreme soil is not suited to all plants which find it not an easy way to grow, but for the vineyards it’s very good soil. The vines sometimes have to struggle a bit.

Jan Erbach of Pian dell’Orino in Montalcino told me ‘galestro is another type of calcaric sediment and is like schist. The schist in Montalcino was created in a very deep sea which is now the Mediterranean. As this sea was so deep it had cool temperatures. The greater pressure at these depths means there was less marine life and only a very slow sedimentation of the calcareousparticles” – credit to all notes above on Galestro from Monty Waldon – Tuscan wine expert.

WINEMAKING

Winemaking across the three wines is essentially the same, just some differences in elevage. They employ cool, chilled ferments utilising whole berries and some whole bunch. The ferments are kept to around 24-25 degrees. Stem usage is carefully managed as to avoid any green flavours in the wine, the key advantage to stem usage is they can reduce final alcohol by volume in a wine by up to 1%. Across a vintage they have 40-45 different ferment in the winery, so blending is key in the final wine.

Sugarille is the first to be harvested and Rennina the last. Ferments are started wild using a pied de cuvee and if needed inoculated in order to finish the primary ferment. They believe positive results are attained from natural yeast but healthy, strong ferments are a necessity, they are not dogmatic or extremists about it and will do what they have to too achieve the best results in the final wine. Ferment takes around 10 days to complete then stay on skins for around 20 days after that.

The wine is then drained off…they do not press. They only keep the ‘flower’ to use in their wine, the last 10-20% of pressed wine is not utilised in Pieve Santa Restituta wines. This is done to maintain purity and freshness. Malolactic fermentation occurs in wood, starting naturally and when the first wine starts, some of the lees from it are used to start the other barrels. The aim is to get malolactic to finish before winter and after going through malolactic a small dose of sulphur is added. After elevage the wines undergo a very light filtering prior to bottling.

This wine was first produced in 2005 and is a blend of all the vineyards, currently utilising the 9ha of Deserti and a small amount of Rennina and Sugarille. They use cool, chilled ferments utilising whole berries and some whole-bunch. Stem usage is carefully managed as to avoid any green flavours in the wine. The key advantage to stem usage is they can reduce final alcohol by volume in a wine by up to 1%.

They only keep the ‘flower’ of the ferment for their wines, just the juice that is drained off. The last 10 to 20% of the volume making up the pressed wine are not used at all for the wines of Pieve Santa Restituta.

The elevage however for this wine is a little different to the other two single site wines. After primary ferment is completed the wine spends the first six months of its life in 2yr or older French oak Tonneau, no new oak is used for any of the wines. After this period the wine is moved to large format oak Botti for the remainder of the two years required by the DOCG rules.

Then the wine is moved to concrete for 6-12 months before it is bottled. This wine is the introduction to their Brunello’s, a little fleshier in fruit and softer in tannin and designed to be an earlier drinking style and approachable on release.

While released as a site specific bottling, it’s not a single vineyard wine. It’s is in fact a blend of three non-adjacent vineyards that surround the winery consisting of San Pietro, Pian Dei Cerri and Castagno Vecchio. The vineyard expositions vary from North West (Pain Dei Cerri) and the South facing sites of Santa Pietro & Castagno Vecchio. This is a key difference to their other single vineyard bottling of Sugarille which is almost entirely South facing.

First produced in 1994 from a total 10 hectares however, the majority of the vines were re-planted in 1997 and a smaller part more recently in 2005. In terms of soil types in comparison to Sugarille these 3 distinct vineyards that make up Rennina have a blend of higher clay content and richer in stones. A ‘fresher soil’ as Gaja describe vs the very poor/free draining soils of Sugarille.

A little more fruit forward than the Sugarille, the family describe it as their parallel to Barbaresco, with Sugarille being the ‘Barolo’. The name Rennina pays homage and reference to the history of the estate and is a blend of Latin and Etruscan words and indicates parish or church owned land. The wine is not produced every year and if not released as Rennina, will go into the Brunello di Montalcino.

The major difference in winemaking here from the estate/blended Brunello is after ferment the wine goes straight into larger format 3000 ltr old oak for the full elevage.

This is 4.5ha single vineyard wine from an exclusively South facing site. Note Rennina, the ’Sister’ wine to Sugarille is a blend of three non-adjacent vineyards that surround the winery consisting of San Pietro, Pian Dei Cerri and Castagno Vecchio and has a varying exposition including a NW facing vineyard. Sugarille was gradually replanted from 1996 and 1997 after purchase of the site.

The soil of Sugarille consists mainly of Marl, Clay & Galestro limestone which Gaja describe as being very poor soils (good in this case for the production of Brunello) with great drainage.

If Rennina is the ‘Barbaresco’, this is the Barolo of the pair.. Sugarille exudes elegance and richness with a heightened floral complexity, minerality and well-integrated tannin, known for its remarkable aging potential and as the more austere of the two.

Elevage is the same as Rennina and first produced by the Gaja’s in 1995. Again it will not be produced in every vintage if they deem the typicity of the vineyard is not showcased, it will then be moved into the blended Brunello. The major difference in winemaking here from the estate/blended Brunello is after ferment the wine goes straight into larger format 3000 ltr old oak for the full elevage.

The name is derived from the name originally given to parish estate dating back to 1547 and is now the name of the wine and the single vineyard.

A partnership between Angelo Gaja and Alberto Graci which begun in 2016 on the east coast of Sicily. Etna is one of the most valued and in vogue regions for unique and terroir expressive wines. The Gaja and Graci families own 20 hectares of vineyards, between 600m and 800m above sea level, in the village of Belpasso and Biancavilla.

IDDA

IDDA means ‘she’ in the Sicilian dialect which is a term of endearment and awe which Sicilian’s refer to her, being Etna.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Angelo Gaja’s interest in the region of Mount Etna began when his friend Giacomo Tachis first introduced him to these wines in the late 1990’s. Giacomo Tachis is the oenologist who worked with Piero Antinori creating Sassicaia, Tignanello and Solaia. At that time Angelo had his hands full with the development of Pieve Santa Resistuta in Brunello and their Bolgheri winery Ca’Marcanda.

Fast forward to present times Angelo Gaja met Alberto Graci in 2015. Alberto Graci owns one of the most respected wineries on Mount Etna, situated on the North Eastern slopes of the mountain, in Passopisciaro. With the realisation of how well aligned the two families were both in terms of the values and approach to wine production they decided to form a joint venture, IDDA, at the end of 2016.

The first vintage of IDDA Rosso came in 2017, followed by the introduction of IDDA Bianco from 2018.

“I believe that old age starts when the regrets are more than the dreams and Etna was something that I have been feeling under the skin for some time. The project is just beginning and it will move forward according to the nature of the wine; however Etna, like Langhe, is a place where elegant, enigmatic and intriguing wines can be made. I also took into consideration the challenges of climate change; indeed, I find it important the fact that Etna has the highest vineyards in Europe and the harvest period is among the latest on the continent”

Angelo Gaja

“Angelo and I share the same interpretation of Etna, and we will work hard to realize that interpretation. We are looking for elegance and electricity. Very few places on earth can make wines with those qualities, and Etna is one of them. We approach this venture with humility because we recognize that Etna is stronger than everything, and everyone else. Etna will dictate the identity of the wine we make and we will follow. We will follow the volcano”

Alberto Graci

THE WINERY + PARTNERSHIP

For the initial vintages, the wines were vinified at the Graci winery in the North. In 2023, the full production of IDDA was moved to the new winery built inside the Belpasso site.

With a dedicated winery now established, IDDA has it’s own exclusive winemaking and viticultural team. Gaia,Giovanni, Rossana Gaja and Alberto Graci are present throughout the year discussing with them team each vineyard and winery operation. Angelo Gaja and Alberto Graci still oversee all aspects of the winery as a true partnership.

VINEYARDS

Biancavilla – 630 to 820 meters altitude – South West facing – 15 hectares planted

This site was planted prior to IDDA being created so was purchased by the families with existing vineyards. It lies within the Etna DOP. 10 hectares of Nerello and 1 hectare of Carricante, first planted in 1975. An additional 4 hectares of Carricante was planted in 2017.

The soil here is some of the oldest in the Etna DOP, some 60,000 years old. What does this mean? Due to the soils being from a very old lava flow it’s has had a very long oxidation/weathering/decomposition period so the soils are more ‘ground down’ so to speak, small pebbles, light brown soil, not as fertile and obviously volcanic as some of the more extreme soils of Etna.

Belpasso – 600 to 620 meters altitude – South facing – 12 hectares planted

They purchased this site with only 1 hectare of Carricante already planted. It’s also where the IDDA winery has been built with the first vintage been vinified there in 2023. Prior vintages had been made at the Graci family winery in the North.

The vineyard site is in fact a natural Clos, created by diverging and converging lava flows. It’s an island of fertile land surrounded by unfarmable black volcanic rock. Very high sand content here however due to the soils being a lot younger than Biancavilla, it’s more fertile and has a much higher concentration of larger porous volcanic rocks, more typical of the Etna terroir.

The new plantings (11 hectares) are all Carricante which have been planted between 2019 and 2023.

The site sits just south of the defined border of the Etna DOP, so wines produced from here are labelled Sicila DOP, hence why the IDDA white is labelled as such as the majority of production comes from this vineyard.

Tartaraci – 970 metres altitude – South + South West facing – 5 hectares (not currently planted)

This site is on the North West slopes of Mount Etna and is the highest in terms of altitude. Exposed to the wind and colder temperatures due to altitude, it’s an extreme site for Nerello but IDDA are particularly interested in it’s potential for Carricante.

The current site contains an abandoned vineyard which IDDA are currently evaluating (Feb 2024). They are finalising Massal selection of some of these vines (Nerello Mascalese, Grenache, Carricante, Grecanico & Minnella) and will begin bringing the vineyard back to production.

There is no question the Gaja family have never been ones to swim with the current, not simply to be seen as modernisers or to stand out from the crowd but to challenge the established norms in anattempt to produce the best wine possible.

In a region synonymous for quality red wine production originating from the Northern slopes of Mont Etna (Nerello Mascalese), Gaja decided to purchase both an existing vineyard and plant a new separate site on the less publicised southern slopes. All of these new plantings are Carricante, a white variety.

100% Carricante. Post picking a small parcel is left overnight on skins before pressing. 50% fermented in tank, 50% in barrel of which is a combination of 1000 ltr seasoned French oak and 5000ltr Austrian Stockinger barrels. Part of the wine goes through malolactic. The total elevage is 8 months. Each plot is aged for 6 months separately, then blended and bottled 2 months later.

The first vineyard Gaja purchased is in Biancavilla and lies within in the Etna DOP boundaries and does have some old vine Carricante planted. However the second vineyard in Belpasso (where the IDDA winery has been built) is exclusively planted with Carricante but sits just outside the border of the Etna DOP. IDDA Bianco is a blend of these two vineyards. Gaja always had the plan to plant here so the wine has been labelled Bianca Sicilia since inception.

IDDA means ‘she’ in the Sicilian dialect, which is a term of endearment and awe which Sicilian’s refer to her, being Etna. Predominantly Nerello Mascalese with a touch of Nerello Cappuccio. This wine comes entirely from the Biancavilla vineyard which sits on the southern side of Mount Etna, south west facing slopes, between 700 and 800 meters above sea level. Vineyard as planted in 1975.

Fermented in a combination of steel and seasoned wood vessels. 25/30% whole-bunch. Pressed off to barrel. 80% of these barrels are 2000ltr & 4000ltr, French and Australian with a handful of 700ltr from the same origin. Aged separately for 9 months before then blending of the differing barrels. Bottling is done 3 months post blending.