2024 I Vigneri di Salvo Foti & Figli, Grenache “Ràdica” Terre Siciliane IGT Rosso, Sicily, Italy.
The dark garnet hued old vine Grenache from Foti is one of the most distinctive varietal wines in his amazing collection from vines around Mount Etna with this grippingly dry, fresh, savory and aromatic 2024 being an absolute thrill in the glass with strawberry, red currant, plum and black cherry fruits, that are accented by a volcanic spicy element, sage, anise, wild peppercorn, delicate florals and a fine iron/mineral note. This medium full bodied Grenache, or Alicante as it is sometimes called here is from the east side of Etna, and because the varietal is not allowed in the DOCs here, it is a IGT Vino Rosso. I love this wine, it holds firm and is beautifully chiseled in detail and is fabulous with a wide range of foods, but especially with meaty dishes or hard sheep cheese. According to the winery, the fermentations are all done in open oak vats without enzymes or thermal control (the nights by this time of year are quite cold). The reds are aged in a combination of vessels, concrete, amphora and old wood casks typical, depending on vintage and vineyard to make the most transparent wine possible.There is very little sulfur used on the grapes or must if at all. Racking and bottling are done under lunar cycle, like biodynamic practices, and the wines are bottled with little or no filtration. This side of the volcano, Foti has sites in Bronte, which are at extreme altitude at about 1200 meters elevation and produce the “Aurora” and “VignadiMilo” cuvées, and the other is a vineyard of mainly well over a hundred year old Alicante (Grenache) vines, that is the source here.
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), which is much more common on Sicily’s neighbor Sardinia, where it is from originally and called Cannonau, and some almost unknown local grapes that have been here so long there isn’t any recorded names or enough vines to care about DNA testing! The farming is almost 100% 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) 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. The Ràdica is a rare treat and won’t be an easy get, but like all of the Foti offerings, is well worth the chase and catch!
($60 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive