Duca di Salaparuta
Lavico Etna Bianco Vajasindi
The Duca di Salaparuta Group, gathered together by the Reina family, consists of three historic wine brands (Duca di Salaparuta, Corvo, and Florio) and today constitutes the largest private wine group in Sicily. Duca di Salaparuta was founded in 1824 and has been a leader in Siclian wine and innovation. In the 1800s, the wine in Sicily was big and powerful. The Duke of Salaparuta, Giuseppe Alliata, decided to produce a delicate and elegant wine from the grapes of his own estate. With the third generation of winemakers, Duke Enrico followed in his family’s footsteps and his studies were the basis for what is currently their most iconic product, Duca Enrico, whose first vintage was bottled in 1984 — a revolution in Sicilian wine history.
Duca di Salaparuta makes wine across three different Estates: Vajasindi Estate, Suor Marchesa Estate, and Risignolo Estate. The Vajasindi Estate in northeastern Sicily is 21 hectares of land located on the northern volcanic slopes of Mount Etna and divided into two terraces sitting at 700 meters and 620 meters above sea level. The Suor Marchesa Estate in the Riesi area in central, southern Sicily sits on a gentle hill with wind exposure where the summers are very hot and the winters mild and short. With 127 hectares of vineyards it was chosen for its southern exposure, excellent ventilation and sunlight, and limestone soil composition. The Risignolo Estate located in western Sicily in Salemi is 35 hectares of vineyards set in the sunny countryside chosen for its proximity to the sea and hillside position sitting between 300 and 350 meters above sea level. With mixed land, the climate is temperate, but with broad temperature differences. Duca di Salaparuta is truly a style icon choosing quality and naturalness created through a vigor for innovation and a bond with the terroir.
Tasting Notes
Bright straw yellow. The bouquet is varied and intense. Notes of peach and exotic fruits dominate which blend with sensations of iodine and white pepper. Fresh and flavorsome, lively, but also balanced. Pleasantly lingering after-taste.
Cultivation
Vines are trained on Guyot with a density of 5,200 vines per hectare.
Vinification
De-stemming and pressing of the grapes followed by a short pre-fermentation period in contact with the grape-skins, after which the separation of the must takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature (18°C), thus stimulating alcoholic fermentation.
Aging
The wine ages for four months in stainless steel tanks in contact with its own yeasts, and rests in bottle for three months before release.
Press
2022:
91 points- Wine Enthusiast
91 points- James Suckling
APPELLATION
DOC Etna
VARIETAL
100% Carricante
ABV
12.5%
ALTITUDE
600-800 meters
SOIL
Volcanic
PHILOSOPHY
Sustainable