Feudi Barone Spitaleri: Castello Solicchiata 2014

The Castello Solicchiata, a majestic relic of Sicily, is located just a stone's throw from Adrano in the province of Catania on the southwest side of Mount Etna. While the castle itself, still surrounded by a mysterious aura, is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe, its wine is, according to Robert Parker, one of Italy's best-kept secrets.

Baron Felice Spitaleri di Muglia, owner of the estate and a great admirer of Bordeaux wines, decided to import French grape varieties. He was the first to plant Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon as well as Merlot on the volcanic soils made up of black sand and terraces of rocky lava stone (followed by Pinot Noir a few years later).

Success came immediately: Castello Solicchiata won gold medals at the London exhibition in 1888, Palermo in 1889, Vienna in 1890, Berlin in 1892, Brussels in 1893, and Milan in 1894, and Baron Spitaleri became the official supplier to the royal court of Italy. In the 1900s, the plants in Bordeaux suffered from phylloxera, but the baron's descendants managed to save about 100 plants, from which today's grape varieties descend. Having undergone numerous mutations, they are now considered Sicilian grape varieties. In 2003, the brothers Arnaldo and Felice Spitaleri, the current owners, replanted the entire 115-hectare vineyard of the estate.

Castello Solicchiata, with its impressive drawbridge, is located at 1000 meters altitude, where temperatures are somewhat cooler than in the Sicilian plain. From there, you can overlook the entire valley at a glance. The terraces of black sand on which the vines thrive are among the widest in the world. The vines are cultivated as naturally as possible. Green spaces are deliberately left between the rows of vines, and plant protection products are used minimally. The grapes are hand-sorted, fermented for two years in large oak barrels, and then aged for another two years in barrels. The grape varieties are 80% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, making Castello Solicchiata and its second wine, Secondo Castello Solicchiata, unique wines of Sicily.