Early in May 2017, my good friend, and Mt. Etna resident, Brandon Tokash sent a message informing me that Angelo Gaja, the famed Barbaresco producer, had formed a partnership with Alberto Graci to produce wines on the southwestern slope of the volcano. Further, a vineyard that we had visited a year earlier, Masseria Setteporte, was the source of a significant portion of the property. This was a development that piqued my interest on a number of levels: (i) I am a fan of Angelo and his wines (I have visited his Barbaresco property on two occasions) and was aware of the messaging impact such an announcement would have on producers and consumers of Etna wine alike; (ii) I was somewhat surprised by the location choice; and (iii) I had spent an entire day at Masseria Setteporte just a year prior and wondered if anyone in the room that day had seen this coming.
Since that original announcement, I have been planning to write about the venture and its product line. I finally got my hands on some product to aid in this discussion. I begin with my visit to the Biancavilla property.
The Masseria Setteporte estate has been a generational holding in the Portale-family portfolio. The estate was first modernized by Ferdinando Portale who transitioned from bush to vertically trained vines. Piero Portale took ownership of the property in 2002 and extended the size from 12 ha to 27 ha. Of the 27 ha, approximately 16 were devoted to vineyards.
The vineyards resided at altitudes ranging between 650 and 800 m and were south-facing. The farm was certified organic.
Brandon took me out to Biancavilla one Saturday to meet with Piero and partake of one of his famous culinary creations. We were joined there by Benjamin North Spencer (New Wines of Mt. Etna).
Lunch was prepared by Piero Portale who, in addition to owning the winery, was (at that time) a lawyer, a partner in a restaurant (La Cantinaccia), and a renowned and dedicated foodie.
We were welcomed to the dining area with glasses of Murgo Brut (from magnum), accompanied by farm-grown olives (Nocellera di Etna) and 4-month-old Sheep's milk cheese (sourced from sheep which forage on the farm).
The meat served as the main course was 45-day, dry-aged Chianina (native to Tuscany). This was accompanied by a salad comprised of tomatoes, onions, dried sardines ,olives, and olive oil. The course was accompanied by the estate's red wines. The Chef's preparation had the meat resting on the grill for 30 seconds so I had to give my portion additional time on the grill to ensure that it was not alive.
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| Piero (top middle) along with Brandon Tokash and Benjamin North Spencer (New Wines of Mt. Etna) |
The main course was followed by a chocolate dipped in rum and an Amaro from the German producer Underberg.
We did our vineyard tour post-lunch.
I will continue with the structure and composition of the joint venture and a tasting of two of its wines.
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