2024 I Vigneri di Salvo Foti & Figli, Vigna di Milo, Caselle, Etna Bianco Superiore, Sicily, Italy.
This Vigna di Milo Caselle Bianco is an almost all Carricante cuvée that gets some wood aging and is very rich on the palate, but wonderfully mineral driven and precisely balanced with hints of spicy/flinty notes going with its textured full bodied palate of citrus and stone fruits. Pale gold in the glass the Foti Carricante shows off lovely deep lemon, apricot, kiwi and pineapple fruits that are lifted by subtle acidity and gingery spices. As noted before, on this east side of the volcano, Foti has two main sites in Bronte, which are at extreme altitude at about 1200 meters elevation and produce the “Aurora” and this beautiful “Vigna di Milo” cuvées, and the other is a vineyard of mainly well over a hundred year old Alicante (Grenache) vines, that is the source here too, which I reviewed earlier. The farming is all organic and holistic with some elements of biodynamic principles, such as the ancient reverence to the lunar cycle. The project called I Vigneri (that Foti started), which I have noted in prior reviews, takes its name from an association that existed in the Etna region way back in 1435, the historic Maestranzi dei Vigneri, which was a group group of vineyard workers that greatly influenced the wine culture of the Mount Etna and the success of the wines in those times.
This Etna Bianco Superiore “Vigna di Milo” really captures the best of this drama region in the shadow of Europe’s largest active volcano with its smoky and exotic flavors and Burgundy like class! Mount Etna’s famed The I Vigneri project, led by the legendary Salvo Foti, from Catania, who I’ve called the godfather of the Volcano, spans over 30 hectares and includes many producers on Etna, with the his team working the vines traditionally and Salvo helping guide the wines the wines to bottle. This bottling is part of Salvo’s personal label along with his sons Simone and Andrea, who have taken on the main roles here at the family winery and continue to elevate these distinctive efforts. As I’ve said here before, the Foti’s craft only a tiny amount for their own label while Salvo being the Island’s hottest consultant and mentor, having making or made wines for the likes of Gulfi, Benati and Biondi to name drop a few. His past and current clients, mostly using the indigenous Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio black grapes along with a smattering of Alicante (Grenache) and the white grapes, namely Carrante, as seen here. The Foti boys, Simone and Andrea, have added additional finesse and a renewed passion here and I am excited to see what the future holds here at one of my absolute favorite wineries!
($50 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive