Cantine Graci - Contrada Arcurìa, Passopisciaro - Sicilia, Italy
Alberto Graci’s tiny cantina is located at Passopisciaro on the north side of Mt. Etna on Sicily’s eastern coast. In this small area, viticultural history dates back for thousands of years. The vineyards are planted mainly to Nerello Mascalese and are found between 600 and 1000 meters. Planting densities range from 6,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare, many of which are up to 100 years old - planted on their on own rootstock (un-grafted) and trained to the “Alberello“or bush vine system. Alberto Graci harvests from only his own vineyards and practices totally organic viticulture - in many vineyards, not even Bordeaux Mixture is used. Aberto uses natural, rather than inoculated yeasts, and absolutely no chemicals are used in the vineyards. One finds no barrique here. Open topped wooden vessels are used for fermentation, and only old large oak ovals are used for maturation. The wines are never filtered. The goal is to protect and preserve the very particular identity of Nerello Mascalese. His friend (the righteously famous enologist Donato Lanati) helps out in the vineyards and in the cellar. Alberto’s vineyards include Contrada Arcurìa, 18 hectares at about 600 meters - planted to Nerello Mascalese (plus 1.5 Ha Carricante, and 1 Ha of Catarratto). Then there is the stunning Contrada called Barbabecchi - “Beard-Nose” - two Ha of 100 year old, un-grafted, pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese planted between 1000 and 1100 meters. Both vineyards feature black, volcanic stones and black sand. There is always the risk of snow - and fire. Think about it. Indigenous varietals are grown here including Carricante, Catarratto, Nerello Cappuccio and the aforementioned Nerello Mascalese. Production here is miniscule - as is our allocation - but over the last few vintages Graci has firmly placed himself among the leaders of this up and coming appellation on the volcano. Jancis Robinson, during her indepth look into this small but cultish appellation, considered Alberto as one of the top three producers for his 2006 and 2007 releases. We couldn’t agree more. Upon tasting these wines we were truly shocked at the quality and sense of place these wines exhibited. And the dog? That’s the famous “Cirneco dell' Etna” - a special breed of Sicilian hunting dog, who’s specialty is to work for many hours without food or water. It copes beautifully with the incredibly harsh terrains of Mount Etna, standing 3,329!metres (10,922!ft) high, the largest active volcano in Europe. A fantastic icon for these wines of Mount Etna.
Alberto Graci’s tiny cantina is located at Passopisciaro on the north side of Mt. Etna on Sicily’s eastern coast. In this small area, viticultural history dates back for thousands of years. The vineyards are planted mainly to Nerello Mascalese and are found between 600 and 1000 meters. Planting densities range from 6,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare, many of which are up to 100 years old - planted on their on own rootstock (un-grafted) and trained to the “Alberello“or bush vine system. Alberto Graci harvests from only his own vineyards and practices totally organic viticulture - in many vineyards, not even Bordeaux Mixture is used. Aberto uses natural, rather than inoculated yeasts, and absolutely no chemicals are used in the vineyards. One finds no barrique here. Open topped wooden vessels are used for fermentation, and only old large oak ovals are used for maturation. The wines are never filtered. The goal is to protect and preserve the very particular identity of Nerello Mascalese. His friend (the righteously famous enologist Donato Lanati) helps out in the vineyards and in the cellar. Alberto’s vineyards include Contrada Arcurìa, 18 hectares at about 600 meters - planted to Nerello Mascalese (plus 1.5 Ha Carricante, and 1 Ha of Catarratto). Then there is the stunning Contrada called Barbabecchi - “Beard-Nose” - two Ha of 100 year old, un-grafted, pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese planted between 1000 and 1100 meters. Both vineyards feature black, volcanic stones and black sand. There is always the risk of snow - and fire. Think about it. Indigenous varietals are grown here including Carricante, Catarratto, Nerello Cappuccio and the aforementioned Nerello Mascalese. Production here is miniscule - as is our allocation - but over the last few vintages Graci has firmly placed himself among the leaders of this up and coming appellation on the volcano. Jancis Robinson, during her indepth look into this small but cultish appellation, considered Alberto as one of the top three producers for his 2006 and 2007 releases. We couldn’t agree more. Upon tasting these wines we were truly shocked at the quality and sense of place these wines exhibited. And the dog? That’s the famous “Cirneco dell' Etna” - a special breed of Sicilian hunting dog, who’s specialty is to work for many hours without food or water. It copes beautifully with the incredibly harsh terrains of Mount Etna, standing 3,329!metres (10,922!ft) high, the largest active volcano in Europe. A fantastic icon for these wines of Mount Etna.
