In 2024 I had the pleasure of tasting the wines of Tenute Ballasanti for the first time and documented that experience in a subsequent blog post. On this year's visit to ViniMilo we ran into Manuela at one of the public events and she could not wait to have us taste the new addition to her lineup: a Rosé. During the course of the evening we agreed that Brandon and I would visit her at home and taste through the new releases.
Barbara (Liuzzo) had agreed to drive us over and showed up promptly at the appointed time. It was a beautiful, scenic drive with the sea a dominant sight ahead of us as we threaded our way through small village after small village. We finally pulled up at two large wrought-iron gates and Barbara signaled that we had arrived. She placed a call and Manuela arrived to open the gates.
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| Barbara and Manuela |
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From the little that I could see initially, it appeared to be an expansive property but, what was even more captivating, was the view of the towns below; and the expanse of water stretching away from the towns.
We did a quick tour of the tasting room and the old Palmento that was being refurbished then Manuela said we would be taking a walk outside to see this retreat that her Grandma had built when she (Manuela) was still a child. Then it hit me. This was the childhood home that Manuela had talked about in my initial post. This was the magnet that had pulled her back to her wine roots.
We began to walk up an unassuming hill in the indicated direction and, as far as you could see, the right side of the path was chock full of grape vines straining under the weight of sizable bunches of grapes. And on the left side, every kind of fruit tree that exists under the sun. And the hill? It was not so unassuming after all. After a labored journey to the slow-arriving summit, I dropped, exhausted, onto the bench where Manuela's grandmother had sat and contemplated the fate of the world. It was beautiful. It was majestic. It was commanding. And it was windy.
Our path down was less strenuous. The tasting was set up in a room off the kitchen and we repaired there. Manuela's daughter -- Gaia, currently completing the thesis for her degree -- is interested in eventually managing the wine enterprise so she joined in the tasting. The vineyards from which the grapes are sourced were detailed in the post mentioned earlier.
We tasted four wines, the first of which was the 2023 Tenute Ballasanti Etna Bianco DOC, a 100% Carricante wine with grapes sourced from the Il Tenaci Vineyard in Contrada Chiusitti. Sage, rosemary, minerality, mint, and salinity on the nose. Rich on the palate. Weighty, with bright acidity. Citrus and burnt citrus skin. Persistent salinity.
The Nerello Mascalese grapes for the 2024 Rosé were sourced from the Sublime Vineyard. This is the maiden vintage. The grapes were soft-pressed and then the must fermented. There is some skin contact. The wine was kept on the lees until March of this year.
Strawberries, lees, and bubble gum on the nose. Non-aggressive attack. Persistent salinity and minerality on the palate. Bitter almond and a saline finish. Food would serve this wine well.
The 2023 Etna Rosso is made from 15-year-old vines and is fermented in stainless steel with twice-weekly punchdowns. Malolactic fermentation and aging (7 months) also occur in stainless steel vessels.
Smoke, jasmine, licorice, lees, and sweet red fruit on the nose. Focused and smooth on the palate. Linear. Light on its feet. Rich finish.
The 2023 Sicilia DOC is dedicated to Manuela's youngest son. The wine is fermented 1/3 whole-cluster and the remainder de-stemmed. Malolactic fermentation and aging in steel.
Red fruits, herbs, and a hint of burnt rubber on the nose. Ephemeral. Light on the attack but then explodes. Bright red fruit. Salinity and a little green note. Persistent. Linear but pleasant.
During the course of the tasting, Manuela's youngest son and a friend had dropped in. We utilized the friend's photography skills to capture some group pics featuring the stunning backdrop.
All in all a great day. Looking forward to the continued growth of this winery and a bright future for Gaia at its helm (eventually). Manuela has a number of ideas as to how to meld art and wine into a cohesive whole to the benefit of both and some initiatives are on the horizon. I hope to report on those as they become more fully fleshed out.
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