Thanksgiving is right around the corner and today we’re offering a wine that begs for the occasion. From her ancient farmstead on Siciliy’s Mount Etna, Chiara Vigo has earned global acclaim for her powerful, perfumed, and refined red wines. Still, few have enjoyed the extraordinarily rare wine we’re offering today—her rosato.
Don’t confuse this with a simple, early release pink wine; on the contrary, it’s a long-gestating and impressively complex wine that competes with Italy’s most profound whites (not to mention many reds). It’s truly stunning, and while you won’t find this wine on a retail shelf anytime soon, trust us that it’s an ideal opportunity to break away from pouring only white and red wines this holiday season. This bottle, especially, is built for Thanksgiving.
We've been big fans of this small, family-owned property since before the hype—and today, that commitment affords SommSelect preferential access to the painfully small amount of Chiara’s wines that arrive in California each year. Over the past few years, some of the biggest names in the wine press have added to the already overwhelming sommelier/collector buzz about Romeo del Castello. Last year, the New York Times’ Eric Asimov penned a fascinating piece about the tiny and ancient vineyard that produces today’s gorgeous wine. Asimov’s
article details how the vines in Chiara’s oldest vineyard, Vigo, were almost entirely destroyed in Mount Etna’s 1981 eruption, but, somehow, they’ve managed to dig through the lava and regenerate over the last 4 decades. It’s a mystifying and inspiring story that makes today’s deep and soulful wine all the more satisfying.
Tucked between tentacles of hardened lava, the century-old vines vines in Chiara’s Vigo vineyard are farmed with fanatical care and attention to detail. Chiara uses no herbicides or pesticides, ever, and she nurtures these vines into their twilight years with only organic methods and fertilizers. This is a pristine and visually stunning vineyard site that deserves to be mentioned alongside the great ‘crus’ of the world. In the cellar, Chiara employs a masterful and light touch. Fermentation on skins is carried out in stainless steel tanks followed by aging in 225 liter neutral French oak barrels. There is no filtering, and only a very small amount of sulfites are added only at bottling.
Chiara Vigo has built her reputation on complex and powerful red wines, but few of even of the most ardent Etna-philes have enjoyed her extraordinarily rare rosé. It shines brightly in the glass with salmon and peach tones. Mountain strawberry and cherry fruit notes intertwine with bright, mineral acidity and a mouthwatering, peach-fleshy mid palate. Its ample acidity and impressive concentration make it a delicious “skeleton key” wine that is sure to unlock even the most challenging menu items on this year’s Thanksgiving table. The gaminess of Turkey or deceptive sweetness of root vegetables can be challenging to pair against, but this wine accommodates them all beautifully. Simply decant for one hour, then serve at 55 degrees in large Burgundy stems. It’s a gorgeous and extremely rare wine that’s just perfect for the holidays (the attached recipe is one of the many sides we’re considering). Cheers!
