“Bonera” 2021 – Mandrarossa

The grapes to produce the “Bonera” Mandrarossa were hand harvested at the end of September. Once at the winery, grapes were crushed and transferred in stainless steel tanks for fermentation at 22-25°C with selected yeasts. A rack and return system and traditional pumping over provided a delicate extraction of colour and tannins, while maintaining the fruit characteristics. Ageing took place in barriques for about five to eight months. The wine was then bottled, and kept for four months before release.

The vineyards for this wine are located on the hills facing south and south-west, at 90-150 metres above sea level, on silty and sandy soils. Vines are Guyot trained, with a density of 4,000-4,500 vines per hectare.

The Mandrarossa wines come from a selection of the best sites from Cantine Settesoli’s 6,000 hectares of vineyard, situated in southwestern Sicily and planted with 32 different grape varieties. The vineyards are split between the 2,000 members of the co-op, and cover the area around Selinunte, the hauntingly beautiful ruins of a Greek town founded 2,600 years ago. Cantine Settesoli helps to support the restoration of this archaeological site. First produced in 1999, Mandrarossa is about to open its own winery as it becomes increasingly focused on single-site wines. Working with soil specialist Pedro Parra and head winemaker Mimmo De Gregorio, Alberto has selected 500 hectares of vineyard, from 160 growers, for the production of the Mandrarossa wines. These vineyards are situated close to the sea, where intense sunlight, moderating sea breezes, mild temperatures, multiple elevations and a myriad of different soil types combine to give the quality of grapes that Mimmo and Alberto are looking for. Pedro has singled out limestone as the soil with the highest potential for quality wines. At the top of the hierarchy are the wines made from single sites, 75 hectares from 37 growers that have been selected by Pedro’s vineyard mapping. Their ‘Cartagho’, from a sandy vineyard in the Torrenova ‘contrada’ that is regarded as the best source of Nero d’Avola, is the iconic Mandrarossa wine, having won ‘Tre Bicchieri’ six times in recent years. The Timperosse (made solely from Petit Verdot) has also won ‘Tre Bicchieri’.