I Vigneri (Salvo Foti)
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Though not born far from his current area of residence, the Catania-born Salvo Foti has moved worlds to arrive where he is today - at the literal and metaphorical pinnacle of Mount Etna's wine scene. Sicily's vinous potential always intrigued and motivated Salvo, and within the steep slopes ofMount Etna, rather than in Catania at its foot, he has been able to influence generations of winemakers and drinkers alike. With a hand in every fiber of his estate's sustainable ecosystem, Salvo ensures he is aware of every action; each brick in the winery has been hand-made from Etna rock, and he must personally know the producers of each barrel, piece of iron used, and everything down to the sheep whose manure fertilizes his vineyards. This also extends, of course, to the grape material: it should be known that most Carricante on Etna (literally "carries a count") had been manipulated to mass produce grapes. Salvo has isolated the original clones of Carricante and his red grapes, Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, in order to produce the most pristine, complex and long-lived examples of the wines. Truly, risen from the ashes of Mount Etna is I Vigneri, Salvo's own label, without a doubt the most sensationally great estate to grace those steep slopes.
Very much a purist in the most ardent and literal translation of the word, Salvo will go to the greatest degree and spare no effort to ensure his entire estate, including its people, are cared for as they deserve. With that purist approach, there are three grapes that are focused on, and the ancient, oft-ungrafted clones re-produced in their own nursery: Carricante, Nerello Mascalese & Nerello Cappuccio.
Carricante at its finest, which it certainly is here, is reminiscent of a wonderful Premier or Grand Cru Chablis: taut, minerally and quite textural with a distinctive grip much like young Chablis. In the glass, it expands to be both beautifully savory and crystalline, revealing citrus and stone fruits with that gorgeous mineral tone, derived from the 1200-plus meter altitude, rocky vineyards.
The Nerellos are often based on Mascalese, with Cappuccio and a slight splash of Alicante (a.k.a. Grenache) making an appearance in some vintages. Vines are often upwards of 70, even 100 years of age, trained in the traditional Alberello Etneo method which generates the proper energy and stress in the vines.
The reds are planted at a quite cool section of Mt. Etna that reminds many of Northern Italy, and you should expect a wine with the same sort of fine-grained tannin like Nebbiolo. It would be nearly impossible to find an estate on Etna producing anything approaching the intense quality here.
