About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
Vigna San Lucio was the first grande vigna established at Tenuta Regaleali. The approximately 7 ha site includes 5.5 ha planted in 1959 with intermingled Perricone and Nero d’Avola and about 1.5 ha planted in 1965 solely to Nero d’Avola.
The vineyard lies at 480 m. It is bush-trained, short-spur pruned and planted at 4,400 vines/ha, with vines approximately 1.5 m apart. The yellowish-brown soil is loamy-sandy, partly calcareous and lightly stony, with a slightly alkaline pH of 8.5. Nero d’Avola and Perricone have similar, fairly late cycles, normally ripening from late September into early October.
Grapes
53% Nero d’Avola and 47% Perricone in the 2019 release.
Vinification
Traditional red-wine fermentation took place in stainless steel, beginning at 20°C and finishing at 28°C. Skin contact lasted 20 days, and malolactic fermentation was completed.
Ageing
Eighteen months in entirely new 225 L French oak barriques from Allier and Tronçais. Across its history the wine has also experienced other maturation regimes, including chestnut casks and Slavonian oak, while retaining its established identity.
Technical data
2019: 14.5% alcohol; pH 3.30; total acidity 6.51 g/L; residual sugar 0.7 g/L; total extract 35.40 g/L.
Tasting profile
The aromatic profile avoids excessive overripe notes while achieving complete phenolic maturity. In youth it is exuberant, vibrant and energetic. With age, its texture becomes velvety without losing structure, savoury definition or flavour progression.
Vintage notes
The 2019 season had a cold, rainy winter with unusual snowfall, followed by a hot, dry spring and summer. Rain in June supported correct fruit maturation.
Label / history
Rosso del Conte originated from the historic San Lucio vineyard and has continued to express the high hills of central Sicily through successive changes in its maturation approach.
