Rapitalà Piano Maltese 2025

Rapitalà Piano Maltese comes from Tenuta Rapitalà, a Sicilian estate built after the 1968 Belice earthquake by Count Hugues Bernard and Gigi Guarrasi, who focused on the terroir and pioneered planting French varieties alongside native ones. This white blends native Catarratto, the island's most planted white grape, with Chardonnay. Catarratto brings citrus, orchard fruit and a Mediterranean freshness, while Chardonnay adds body and stone fruit; the warm Sicilian climate is tempered by vineyard altitude, which preserves acidity and aromatic lift. The wine spends eight months in oak barrels, a measured ageing that rounds the palate and adds a soft, nutty depth through gentle oxygen exchange without overwhelming the fruit. The colour is bright straw yellow. The nose is fresh and inviting, with peach and green apple over a citrus lift and a touch of white flowers. The palate is medium bodied and rounded, with ripe pear and a subtle almond note from the oak carried by clean acidity to a fresh finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees.