Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
Chardonnay is grown in the Trapani countryside at Tenuta Dàgala Borromeo, on a west-facing site at 250 m a.s.l. The technical profile describes medium-textured soil tending toward clay, a planting density of 4,500–5,000 vines per hectare, and vertical trellising with Guyot pruning. Yield is 60 quintals per hectare. The estate has a dry, ventilated microclimate with marked day-to-night temperature variation.
Grapes
100% Chardonnay.
Vinification
The grapes are picked by hand during the first ten days of August. Gentle pressing is followed by fermentation at controlled temperature.
Ageing
The wine remains on its fine lees in stainless-steel tanks for three months, with periodic stirring, followed by at least four months in bottle.
Technical data
IGT Terre Siciliane. Alcohol: 13%.
Tasting profile
Pale straw yellow with green highlights. The aroma is elegant and distinctly tropical, recalling pineapple, banana, mango and papaya. The palate is full and fresh, with savoury character, good acidity and persistence. Its progression is harmonious and the finish delicate.
Serving and pairing
Serve at 10–12°C. A featured pairing combines broken wheat with oven-seared red prawns, tomato, celery and mint.
Vintage notes
The latest vintage described is 2022. A temperate, frost-free winter and winter rainfall replenished soil-water reserves; the sunny, low-humidity summer limited downy and powdery mildew pressure. Despite high temperatures, both quantity and grape quality were considered particularly strong.
The 2021 growing season was regular, with abundant winter rain followed by a relatively cool spring and early summer. Mild temperatures and limited rainfall supported even growth, while smaller bunches improved average quality; the finished wine was full and enveloping.
In 2020, above-average winter temperatures and prolonged drought brought earlier budbreak and around 30% lower production in white varieties, while concentrating sugars, polyphenols and aromatic components. The wine showed straw-yellow colour with green tones, exotic fruit, freshness and savoury character.
In 2019, cooler and rainier conditions prolonged ripening, and harvest was delayed by 8–10 days to mid-August. The wine was intense, fruity and enveloping, with pineapple, papaya and mango notes and a full, fresh, savoury palate.
Label / history
The Chiaramonte family arrived in Sicily in the fourteenth century and served the Aragonese kings Pietro and Ludovico. Their name now identifies three wines in the Chiaramonte range.
