I Vigneri di Salvo Foti Palmento Caselle 2022

I Vigneri is the project of Salvo Foti, a grower who has spent more than thirty years defending traditional viticulture and old vines on Mount Etna, in eastern Sicily. Palmento Caselle is an Etna Bianco made from Carricante, the island's finest white grape. The vineyards sit high on the volcano's slopes, where black soils of decomposed lava and volcanic ash drain sharply and give the wine its smoky, saline minerality, and where the altitude brings cold nights that keep the naturally high acidity intact. Carricante is a late ripening variety built for this landscape, giving taut, citrus driven whites that age well. The wine is fermented and aged for around twelve months in large 500 litre French oak barrels, a format that allows slow oxygen exchange and adds texture and depth without stamping the fruit with obvious wood flavour. Time on the lees rounds out the palate. In the glass it is pale straw, with green apple, lemon, white flowers and an aniseed note, over a smoky volcanic mineral base. The palate is bright, dry and saline, with a long, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees.