Scala Francesco Cirò Bianco 2024

Scala Francesco is a family winery in Cirò, on the Ionian coast of Calabria in the far south of Italy, where the family has grown wine for over two centuries from native varieties. This Cirò Bianco is made from Greco, the local white grape, farmed organically on sun baked coastal hills of clay and limestone cooled by sea breezes off the Ionian. The warm Mediterranean climate ripens the fruit fully while the maritime air and the calcareous soils keep acidity fresh and add a saline lift. Vinification is in stainless steel with three months of reductive ageing, a short cool maturation that delivers the wine young and aromatic while the sealed tank protects its citrus and stone fruit character from oxidation. Expect a pale straw colour, a nose of lemon, apricot, white peach and a light herbal note, and a dry, medium bodied palate with citrus, orchard fruit and a clean saline finish. At 12% it is fresh and approachable. Serve well chilled at 9 to 11 degrees.