Alicante 'Ciatu' Cantine Barbera 2021

Cantine Barbera's Alicante 'Ciàtu' is a red wine with an intense, Mediterranean character that originates from a stone's throw from the sea on the Menfi estate. It is a wine from an ancient grape variety of noble traditions, which has survived in only a few vineyards throughout Sicily. It is a wine with a strong territorial imprint, which, thanks to a vinification that is very respectful of the raw material, brings to the fore the varietal notes and characteristics of an area dominated by the warmth of the sun, the wind and the presence of the sea. A true condensation of the best qualities of the Sicilian land.

Ciàtu' Alicante is produced with grapes from a vineyard planted in 2000, to preserve and enhance a series of historic Mediterranean vines that have been present in Sicily for centuries. Alicante has a skin that is very rich in anthocyanins but extremely thin, which tends to flake off and create lees and reduction problems during vinification, which must be combated with oxygenation of the musts and timely and repeated destemming. The vineyard is planted with free-foot trellising on predominantly clayey soils, with a generous presence of sand, in an area that is very well-ventilated by the constant presence of sea breezes. Harvesting takes place towards the end of August. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and sent to spontaneous fermentation in truncated conical Slavonian oak vats, with maceration on the skins for about 2 weeks. The wine matures, first in used barriques and then in oak vats, for a period of 6 months and is bottled without clarification or filtration. It is put on the market after a further 6 months of ageing in the winery's cellars.

Cantine Barbera's 'Ciàtu' is a label with strong territorial connotations, which well expresses the winery's philosophy of enhancing raw materials without compromise. The wine has a deep, intense ruby-red colour. On the nose, it expresses aromas of dark berry fruit, hints of undergrowth, aromatic herbs of the Mediterranean maquis, iodine and brackish sensations. The palate is austere and deep, with a juicy and persistent centre of the mouth and nuances that turn from ripe fruit towards brine and balsamic sensations. The tannic texture is ripe and well integrated with the body of the wine, and the finish returns to fresh, savoury notes.