Storia
Historical vineyard
Vigneto del Torrone Bianco is identified as Tenuta San Giacomo’s historical Nero d’Avola vineyard. Its name derives from the vineyard’s conspicuously white calcareous earth, whose appearance recalls traditional Sicilian white torrone.
Development of the estate range
Tenuta San Giacomo is represented by three wines tied directly to its vineyards: Sàgana from the historical Vigneto del Torrone Bianco, Disueri from the estate’s Nero d’Avola vineyards, and Fosnuri from a single vineyard of Syrah. Fosnuri is presented as a newer cru within the estate range, extending the interpretation of San Giacomo’s white, light-reflecting soils beyond Nero d’Avola.
Terroir
Butera hills
Tenuta San Giacomo lies in the hills of Butera, in the province of Caltanissetta. The estate’s reference elevation is 400 m above sea level. Its vineyards are planted on slopes with southern exposures; the Fosnuri single vineyard is placed at 450 m.
White calcareous earth
The defining feature is the conspicuously white calcareous soil. It reflects sunlight so strongly that the ground is compared both to summer snow and to Sicilian white torrone. The soil contains white trubi, the local calcareous-clayey rocks associated with the estate’s Nero d’Avola vineyards. The vines therefore receive direct sunlight from above as well as light reflected by the pale ground.
Maritime and thermal influences
The sea is approximately 10 km away. Although it is not visible from the vineyards, its presence is expressed through the wind and sea breezes. These breezes contribute to balanced grape ripening.
The hillside elevation creates pronounced temperature differences between day and night. These variations help the grapes retain acidity while reaching full ripeness. In Nero d’Avola, the combination of altitude, calcareous soil and white trubi is associated with freshness, elegance and balanced maturation. In the higher Fosnuri vineyard, strong Sicilian light, reflected radiation, daily temperature variation and warmth shape the conditions for Syrah.
Vinificazione
Training and vineyard layout
Nero d’Avola is trained on an espalier system. The documented Nero d’Avola vineyards are south-facing hillside plantings at 400 m above sea level and have a density of 5,000 vines per hectare. Vigneto del Torrone Bianco has a stated yield of 50 hl/ha, while the vineyards associated with Disueri have a stated yield of 60 hl/ha.
Harvest
Harvesting is manual. Nero d’Avola is collected in cases during the first ten days of September; the broader estate description likewise places its harvest in September. Fosnuri’s Syrah is picked into small cases specifically to protect grape integrity.
Sustainability
The wines carry the SOStain and VIVA sustainability credentials held by Cusumano. The certification announcement dates to 2019 and frames sustainability as an obligation to reduce wasted resources, conserve them and use them responsibly. The SOStain/VIVA initiative is described as a sustainable-development program for Italian viticulture approved by the Italian ministries responsible for agriculture and the environment.
Sàgana — Vigneto del Torrone Bianco
Nero d’Avola is destemmed, macerated and fermented for 10–15 days at a controlled 28–30°C. Malolactic fermentation takes place in 20 hl barrels. The wine then matures for 18 months in the same vessels, followed by further bottle ageing. The estate’s presentation describes these as large barrels.
Disueri
The Nero d’Avola grapes are destemmed and undergo one day of cold skin maceration at 12°C. Fermentation proceeds at 28°C with frequent pump-overs and punch-downs. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks. The wine remains in contact with its fine lees for at least five months and subsequently ages in bottle.
Fosnuri
Syrah is gently destemmed by vibration and macerated for at least 25 days. Racking is performed manually. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 18 months in 5 hl barrels.
Filosofia
Tenuta San Giacomo’s identity is built around the interaction of light, altitude and pale calcareous earth. The intended expression joins the natural power associated with Sicilian red varieties to the elegance and freshness produced by elevation, white trubi, maritime air and preserved acidity.
Balanced physiological ripeness is a recurring objective. Nero d’Avola is expected to reach full maturation without losing its acidity, while Fosnuri links Syrah’s affinity for warmth with the estate’s reflected light and day–night temperature variation.
The wider sustainability principle treats careful resource use as an ethical obligation: waste is to be limited, resources conserved and their use managed responsibly.