LA TENUTA BIO
Catarratto
A document dating back to 1340 recounts of a dispute before the royalcourt over the ownership of a particularly sought-after feud, “Casalj Rabitallavi”. This was the historical name of Tenuta Rapitalà, 175 hectares in the district of Camporeale, with elevations ranging from 300 to 600 metres above sea level. The summit of the mountain that dominates the estate is home to the Catarratto vineyards from which the Casalj is produced.
Grapes
Catarratto
Production area
Camporeale in the province of Palermo at 600 metres above sea level; north-south aspect.
Alcohol
12.5% Vol.
Optimal conservation
3 Years
Food pairings
Full-flavoured fish and shellfish, fish soup, even when spicy, hot and cold white meats.
Allergens
Contiene solfiti
Vinification and refinement
The grapes for the Catarratto are harvested in late September. In order to preserve varietal aromas, contact with oxygen is limited using a controlled atmosphere system throughout the vinification process, which involves soft crushing, cold settling, and fermentation at a controlled temperature of 12–14° C with cultured yeasts. Temperature control makes it possible to prolong fermentation for over two weeks. Analytical tests are made on a daily basis. The wine is kept on the lees until March, but not before spending three months in 5,000-litre French oak barrels.
Tasting notes
Precise vinification techniques and barrel ageing give this wine a complex nose, with well-developed Mediterranean aromas of sage, tomato leaf and caper blossom. This light gold wine offers a rounded, satisfying body, expressing the sun of its land of origin, where Catarratto shows a unique character, unrepeatable elsewhere.