2019 Aldo Viola "Biancoviola” Terre Siciliane Bianco

Aldo’s namesake wine blends three white varieties, each with varying durations of skin contact: 45% of the wine is Catarratto pulled from the “Krimiso”, fermentation tank after three days of maceration; another 45% is Grillo removed from the “Egesta”  tank after four weeks of skin contact; and the final 10% is Grecanico pressed immediately after harvest. The vines grow on Alcamo’s Timpi Rossi (“Red Hills”), in soils of iron-rich sandy clay at altitudes up to 1000 meters above sea level, and Aldo bottles the wine with a trace of added sulfur after 18 months in stainless steel. “Biancoviola” displays its macerated nature delicately, with the skin contact expressing itself in an amplification and elongation of texture rather than any sort of overtly tannic presence. A luscious nose of ripe apricots and small-petaled flowers leaps from the glass, and the wine enters the palate broadly and with ripe, tangy acidity. Flavors of ripe green apples, anise, and cinnamon stick slather the palate, given extra persistence by Aldo’s judicious employment of skin maceration. It finishes long and clean, with subtle lingering salinity.