Maugeri Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Volpare 'Frontebosco'

Made entirely of Carricante* grapes grown in sandy decomposed lava soil near Milo, on the east side of Mount Etna. ‘Frontebosco’ is a single vineyard within the Maugeri property. The vines were planted around 2010, on terraces surrounded by dry-stone walls and forest, at about 700 meters (2,300 feet) above sea level. The grapes are usually harvested in early October, by hand, into small picking boxes; they are then taken to the cellar and left in the press at low temperature for six hours, to extract flavors from the skins. The whole bunches are then pressed, and the juice is inoculated with selected yeasts. About 10% of the must is fermented in stainless steel, the remainder in French oak puncheons. After fermentation the wine is aged in these barrels for about another 8 months before bottling; malo-lactic fermentation is not carried out. 

Notes: pale yellow color; aroma and flavor of wet stones, with hints of citrus and the wild herbs that surround the vineyard.