Once upon a time in western Sicily, Marsala wine was king. It was crafted from an assortment of white grapes which were blended anonymously, after which the wine was aged oxidatively (and fortified) like Sherry. These days, the Marsala ‘industry’ is a shadow of its former self, but the vineyards—and those well-adapted white grapes—remain.
At the other end of the island the wines of Mount Etna are getting all the attention, but there’s another Sicilian storyline I’ve been tracking with interest over the last few years: The killer dry whites being made from those formerly anonymous Marsala grapes. Today’s 2017 from Baglio di Pianetto is a varietal Catarratto, a grape which has kindred qualities to Malvasia, Chardonnay, Roussanne, and a few other better-recognized greats. It is by no means a neutral, light-bodied “quaffer” (a category many Italian whites are summarily thrown into), nor is it the kind of super-ripe, luscious style of white you might expect from such a southerly latitude. Sicily still has its share of blowsy Chardonnays, but this is something else—a textured white with ripe fruit, yes, but one that also boasts mouthwatering freshness, minerality, and citrusy aromatics. No residual sweetness, no oak, no excessive alcohol…just a mouthful of Sicilian sunshine that doesn’t leave you feeling burned. It’s a testament to Sicily’s incredible natural gifts that wines like this exist, in quantity, for $20 a bottle. You are going to love it.
Baglio di Pianetto is an expansive, beautifully appointed property in Santa Cristina Gela, about a half hour south of Palermo. Count Paolo Marzotto established the estate in 1987 and has since built an “Agrirelais” hotel and restaurant on the property, whose vineyards extend over 80 hectares in the Monreale DOC zone (a small and under-used appellation that the Baglio di Pianetto wines typically don’t reference on their labels). Altitudes in Marzotto’s organically farmed vineyards reach to 650+ meters’ elevation, allowing for wide diurnal temperature swings and longer hang times for white grapes. The entire agricultural estate spans 160 hectares and includes olives and wheat as well as grapes—all of it farmed organically.
The high altitudes and clay/marl soils of the Monreale area have proved to be an ideal terroir for Catarratto, which, in hotter, more fertile areas, would tend toward overproduction. What Baglio di Pianetto has captured in this 2017 is a nicely balanced combination of exotic, almost tropical aromatics and some Chardonnay-like texture, but lots of freshness on the finish. It is substantial yet crisp, with no oak or excess extraction to weigh it down.
In the glass, the 2017 Catarratto is a bright yellow-gold flecked with green, with aromas of bergamot orange, apricot, meyer lemon, green herbs, capers, white flowers, and a hint of freshly chopped almonds. Medium-plus in body, with lots of ripe, sun-kissed fruit on the mid-palate, it cleans up beautifully on the crisp, slightly chalky finish. It has nice weight on the palate but the main appeal of the wine is how fantastically refreshing it is—it’s something I would have guessed to be from a cooler climate, but regardless, pull some corks and get this wine flowing! Serve it in all-purpose white wine stems now and over the next year at 45-50 degrees, pairing it with Sicilian-style seafood off the grill drizzled with lots of lemon. Swordfish steaks leap immediately to mind (very Sicilian), but the possibilities truly are endless. Don’t miss this!
