Didacus Chardonnay Sicilia Menfi DOC

Planeta’s journey began at Sambuca di Sicilia, on the estate owned by the family since the 1600s. Here, three enthusiastic young Sicilians, Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta, under the guidance of Diego Planeta, began their winemaking venture in the mid-1980s. Subsequent years were spent matching the extraordinarily diverse Sicilian soils with both indigenous and international varieties. Planeta today encompasses six distinct wine estates in five regions across Sicily; Ulmo at Sambuca di Sicilia, Dispensa at Menfi, Dorilli at Vittoria, Buonivini at Noto, Sciara Nuova on Etna at Castiglione di Sicilia, and the newest addition, La Baronia at Capo Milazzo. Each vineyard site is carefully cultivated with grapes that best compliment the local terroir. Didacus is Planeta’s vision of wine: elegance and tradition, the family and the future. Sicily as it has always been...

In February 1985, ten acres of chardonnay were planted 820 feet above sea level, during an exceptionally hot summer; the plants were originally developed for other climates: soils full of clay and limestone, difficult to tame but generous in the quality of their yield. In 1989, enologist Carlo Corino arrived – “the Wizard of chardonnay in temperate climate.” He was as enthusiastic about those10 acres as he was about the sun and the warm humanity that he felt in Sicily; we worked together to make a legendary wine, from the first vintage in 1994 up to this day.

Grapes were harvested between August 28th and 29th and then refrigerated in a storage room for 12 hours, then hand selected on table with a 13.2% discard rate; sound grapes are sent to press. 80 quintals pneumatic press; maceration in press for three hours at about 55°F; must yield approximately 56%. Static decantation at 50°F for 48 hours; pouring only of the clear must; inoculation with s.erevisiae yeast; transfer in barriques after the beginning of fermentation at 57°F, September 2nd for nine days; temperature inside the barriques is kept between 66 – 71°F.

A pure expression of Chardonnay executed in a beautifully Burgundian style, complete with a sunny Sicilian twist. The wine shows precision and focus, yet it offers a generous array of stone fruit and floral aromas along the way. As the wine takes on more weight in the glass, it begins to reveal rounder and more opulent tones of Sicilian almond, candied fruit, orange peel, anise seed, and salty mineral tones.