Mortellito - Cala Iancu Bianco 2022

Calaiancu Biano is a mineral focused Grillo dominant blend. Packed full of bright lemon flavors, sea spray salinity, stony minerality and textured richness lifted by great acidity. The wine shows this producers light hand and has an immense freshness.

NERD NOTES

Region: Sicily
Production area: Noto
Classification: White wine
Variety: Grillo 90% / Catarratto 10%
Alc vol: 13.3%N
Soil composition: Medium texture Chalky
Age of vines: 5 years
Training method: Head/spur bush (7,000 vines per hectare)
Height above sea level: 40 mt
Yield per hectare: 70 quintals
Agriculture: Organic, no herbicides, no treatments with chemical and/or synthetic fertilizers, pesticide treatments limited to low doses of copper and sulphur.
Wine making technique: 12 hours maceration with the skins, then drawn off and kept at room temperature, the fermentation develops naturally without inoculation of wine yeast.
Aging: Containers of stainless steel

Sulphur dioxide added before bottling aimed at 30/40 mg/l

THE PRODUCER

Dario Serrentino is the driving force behind this family owned estate which spans 25 hectares of vines, ancient olive groves and heirloom almonds.

After years of selling his grapes to local, low-intervention stalwarts like Frank Cornelissen and Lamoresca, the dawn of 2014 saw Dario make the call to begin vinifying his own wines and for this we are very grateful.

Darios relaxed nature shines through in his wines and with this approach he has reached his ultimate goal in creating artisan wines with extreme freshness and drinkability.

His farming is organic and his vines are grown in the old school bush vine system with harvesting only by hand. The light handed approach continues in the cantina with the only additions being small amounts of sulphur at bottling.

Darios Val di Noto vineyards are deep in the Southeast corner of the Sicilian triangle, dipping down to almost the same latitudes as some of Sicily's North African neighbours

In spite of this sub-tropical climate, his immaculately farmed organic fruit coupled with his white limestone soils translates into wines with a level of freshness, balance and tension - that are not often seen in these parts.

These are wines that transport us to Sicily.... drinking them is like taking in its sunshine and bathing in its salty cool sea.