In the middle of tasting a Salvo Foti Etna Bianco Superiore I had a question and sent a quick query over to resident Mt Etna wine experts Benjamin North Spencer and Brandon Tokash. Brandon's response reminded me that while I had covered Aeris Vineyard (the Foti-Harvey joint venture) in great detail, I had not so treated the Foti-owned (and neighboring) Vigna Caselle. I rectify that oversight in this post.
A visit with Salvo was the first thing on our Saturday morning agenda so Brandon picked me up in Linguaglossa bright and early for our trip out to our meeting point at Vigna Caselle, just west of Milo.
We arrived at our destination but there were no signs of humanity. Brandon opened the gate and we drove on into the compound. We looked around, calling out all along, but raised no one. Brandon got on the phone and called Salvo and, lo and behold, they were in the vineyard across the street, half a mile away and 50 meters up.
We were in Vigna Caselle, a Salvo Foti property, while they were in Vigna Aeris, the Salvo Foti - Kevin Harvey joint venture. The two properties are separated by a street. We started out in their direction, lifting a pound of volcanic sand with each step, but an exit point from our enclosure was not readily apparent. So we placed another call to Salvo and he said ok, they would come down to us. Brandon is not a guy who can sit still, however, so he continued to poke around and eventually found a gate which provided egress.
We were in Vigna Caselle, a Salvo Foti property, while they were in Vigna Aeris, the Salvo Foti - Kevin Harvey joint venture. The two properties are separated by a street. We started out in their direction, lifting a pound of volcanic sand with each step, but an exit point from our enclosure was not readily apparent. So we placed another call to Salvo and he said ok, they would come down to us. Brandon is not a guy who can sit still, however, so he continued to poke around and eventually found a gate which provided egress.
On our way back from Aeris, Brandon, Salvo's son Simone, Linda and I walked back through Vigna Caselle on our way to the Palmento for our tasting.
This vineyard, as explained by Salvo, lies between the mountain and the sea and the warm air from the latter meets with the cold air from the former over Milo with the result being significant rainfall (average 1500mm/year) over the entire growing area. In addition to the rain, growers have to contend with year-round winds which can attain speeds of as much as 50 miles/hour.
There are beneficial aspects to the winds however. Moisture dries out rapidly, keeping vine diseases at bay. As a result, the vineyard makes it through the growing season with only sulfur and copper sprays. In addition, the sea and wind combine to imbue the Carricante grown on this side of the mountain with a saltiness that is not evident in Carricantes grown on the north face.
The soil is sandy and of volcanic origin with a substantial portion of ripiddu (lapilli and eruptive pumice) intermixed with red soils from the Sahara Desert deposited here by the aforementioned winds. The sandy soils drain rapidly, forcing the roots to dig deep in search of moisture and nutrients.
There are beneficial aspects to the winds however. Moisture dries out rapidly, keeping vine diseases at bay. As a result, the vineyard makes it through the growing season with only sulfur and copper sprays. In addition, the sea and wind combine to imbue the Carricante grown on this side of the mountain with a saltiness that is not evident in Carricantes grown on the north face.
The soil is sandy and of volcanic origin with a substantial portion of ripiddu (lapilli and eruptive pumice) intermixed with red soils from the Sahara Desert deposited here by the aforementioned winds. The sandy soils drain rapidly, forcing the roots to dig deep in search of moisture and nutrients.
The characteristics of the vineyard are illustrated in the chart below.
The Wines
As regards production, all three of the estate's wines undergo direct pressing of the whole grapes with static and natural decantation of the must for 30 hours. The Palmento Caselle and Aurora are both fermented in stainless teel stanks for 15 to 20 days while the VignadiMilo is fermented for 13 to 15 days in 2500L wooden barrels. Native yeasts are added to facilitate fermentation. The wines are aged in fermentation-similar vessels, 6 moths for the stainless steel cadre, 12 months for the VignadiMilo. The Palmento Caselle and VignadiMilo are racked five times while the Aurora is racked three times. Small doses of sulfur are added at fermentation and bottling
I have tasted all three of the wines produced at this estate: two during the course of a visit there, and the third much more recently. For the visit, the tasting group was comprised of Salvo, his son Simone, Brandon Tokash, Lidia Rizzo, a visiting female winemaker, and the author.
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| Salvo Foti and Author (Picture credit Lidia Rizzo) |
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| Simone, Salvo, Lidia, Brandon, and the visiting winemaker (L to R) |
We started out with a 2014 Aurora Etna Bianco Superiore, a blend of 90% Carricante and 10% Minella. Slate, salinity, and eye-popping acidity. Salvo mentioned that this bottle had been opened for a week and offered to open a new one for comparison purposes. We did not object. The new bottle exhibited the same characteristics but with greater freshness.
VignadiMilo 2014 was matured for one year in stainless steel and then racked into large wooden barrels for further refinement. This wine was fresh to go along with a salinity and slatey minerality.
I tasted two bottles of the 2016 Palmento Caselle during the course of this week. The first was oxidized but the second was sublime. Elegance on both the nose and palate. Lime, herbs, salinity, and pepper spice on the nose. Faded lime and a butterfly presence on the palate. A whisper of a wine. Salinity and acidity present but muted. Slightly bitter finish. Even more haunting on the second day.
Great wines. I expect no less from Salvo Foti.
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