BUKKURAM SOLE D’AGOSTO Zibibbo de Bartoli 2022 375ml

Bukkuram Sole D’Agosto Zibbibo de Bartoli 2022 375ml Natural/Organic production 100% Zibbibo aka Muscat of Alexandria from the island of Pantelleria just off the coast of Sicily. Produced from vines 200 metres above sea level from volcanic soils on very steep terraced slopes with the vines aged between 38-53 years.

The grapes are handpicked in the second week of August for the sun drying process to really concentrate the sugars and then again in the first week of September to make the base wine. Wild yeast fermentation takes place and then a 3 month maceration with the sun dried grapes to elevate the sweetness and develop the aromas. There is a short maturation in oak barrels for 6 months before being transferred to stainless steel for some further ageing before being bottled.

On the nose there is an opulent aromatic bouquet which you would expect from this grape with notes of candied orange peel, ripe apricot and caramelized pineapple with a distinct grapey character. On the palate the wine is crisp with a lovely firm acidity. Flavours of lemon custard, dried tropical fruits with a slight element of salinity. At our recent portfolio tasting our customers loved it! A truly gorgeous sweet wine.

Marco De Bartoli is considered one of Sicily’s winemaking pioneers for his long-standing commitment to the native Sicilian white grape varieties, Grillo and Zibibbo.

He produces them on two separate estates: the first in Marsala, in Sicily’s south-west corner, the other on the small island of Pantelleria, south-east of Sicily. His belief in the value of traditional methods of production of these grapes and their wines is complemented by his equally strong belief in the future of Sicily as one of Europe’s most vital viticultural areas. Grillo, which historically forms the basis of Marsala’s classic wines, has been grown on the island since Phoenician times. From his Samperi winery, in the Contrada Samperi just west of Marsala, Marco De Bartoli produces several wines from this grape. “Vecchio Samperi” was first made in 1980. Named for the territory that houses De Bartoli’s country estate, it is a prestigious “Vergine” wine made using the traditional solera method, in which small quantities of young wine are added to wines of older vintages as they pass through a sequence of wooden barrels. The complex, harmonious result celebrates the fruit of many harvests. In 1982 De Bartoli created “Vigna La Miccia”, classified as an “Oro” or gold Marsala, which is a sweeter, fresher dessert wine produced using a cold vinification process; it reveals an intense bouquet of Grillo and Inzolia grapes. Another facet of Marco De Bartoli’s work with Grillo led in 1983 to the “Marsala Superiore”, which is aged in oak barrels and fortified, as tradition would have it, with the “mistella” alcohol derived from must of Inzolia and acqua vite. In 1992 Marco De Bartoli added “Grappoli del Grillo” to his collection: here Grillo is vinified as a dry white table wine, with its unmistakable character of Mediterranean spice.