“It’s really an incredible place; it’s a fantasy land, really.”
So sayeth Daniele Sassi, Export Manager for Tenuta di Castellaro, a produce that I’ve never visited in person but, after tasting through media samples virtually with them and seeing pics of their location, have instilled within me an intensely jealous rage for not having yet set foot there.
That place, specifically, is Lipari, within the Aeolian archipelago (in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Sicily), which is home to only about 15,000 people but sees well over half a million tourists each year for reasons which will appear immediately obvious when looking at the photos included in this post. It consists of seven volcanic islands, and the chain is still “very active, it has a little eruption every thirty minutes” (according to Sassi). There are sill ancient sulfur pockets under some of Tenuta di Castellaro’s vineyards, even though technically Lipari is an inactive volcano.
Tenuta di Castellaro produces only about 70,000 bottles/year, but those are exported to over 20 countries. The outfit started in 2005 when the founder Massimo Lentsch (originally from the north of Italy) was sailing, took a detour around the area, and then as Sassi mentioned “imagined something that wasn’t [yet] there: vineyards.”
There’s no airport, so when I eventually get there—and I WILL get there—it has to be via ferry or boat. Organic and biodynamic techniques are employed in their 22 hectares of vineyards, exclusively cultivated using alberello training with terraced plantings on volcanic (duh) soils. “Alberello is away more expensive to tend,” explained Sassi, “because we need much more manpower” than more modern training systems (to help with this, the company has housing for workers since labor is so difficult to come by on the islands). It’s a windy area (the name is derived from a god of winds), which along with the vine training helps reduce disease pressures, with the vines (planted primarily to indigenous Sicilian varieties) growing in some cases within rock-throwing distance of the water. Fennel, tarragon, and capers are also cultivated (possibly just to increase my already substantial jealousy).
Tenuta di Castellaro’s Enologist is Robert Mondavi Winery alumnus Emiliano Falsini, from Tuscany. Sassi noted that “the cellar is not just any cellar”: pillars in their cellar are carved down through 20,000+ years of volcanic soils, in which the past eruptions are evident in the dried obsidian/pomace, with solar chimneys used to bring in natural daylight (so work can be done without using electricity during the day). Similarly, tunnels are used to bring in cooling breezes into the cellar (again, to avoid using electricity to keep the cellar at a constant temperature).
“Maybe we have a story to tell that not everyone knows,” Sassi mentioned with almost comical understatement. “The wines have a deep soul, a character.”
2024 Tenuta di Castellaro ‘Bianco Pomice’ Sicilia IGT, Sicily, $35
A blend of 60% Malvasia delle Lipari and 40% Carricante, this white sees 6 months bottle aging and is hand-harvested. Malvasia delle Lipari is semi-aromatic, in contrast the “sharp, crispy” Carricante. There’s a lot of lemon blossom florals bursting out on the nose, contrasting a bit with the more mineral, herbal, and linear citrus of the Carricante, along with a hint of almond. On the palate, there is plenty of lemony freshness, plus broader flavors of melons and honey. The acidity is perky, persistent, and almost crunchy, and the finish is impressively long with dried white flowers, lemon peel, and toasted nuts. Deliciously crowd-pleasing and versatile, and feels like it has very good aging potential thanks to all of that vivacity.
2021 Tenuta di Castellaro ‘Nero Ossidiana’ Sicilia IGT, Sicily, $35
This red combines Corinto Nero (90%), and Nero d’Avola (10%). Corinto Nero is more common in Greece and Turkey, but is grown in Emilia-Romagna (where it’s known as Tarmarina). It’s “partially seedless” so there’s lots of pulp and juice versus seeds. The grapes are hand-harvested from vines planted in sandy and volcanic soils, and after malolactic fermentaiton in barrel, it spends 12 months in bottle. Sassi called it “kind of a Summer red wine” and they recommend serving it with a slight chill. It’s named for the area’s volcanic obsidian. “We barely reach 13% alcohol,” noted Sassi. “This is like a white wine in disguise.” In contrast to other southern Italian reds (“sometimes they are like a punch in the face”), this has a lightness of being evident instantly in its aromatics: bright and wild red berries, Mediterranean scrub, black cherry skin, violets. Spices, a hint of vanilla, and a ton of juicy, plummy, fresh red fruit on the palate, with a great line of minerality. It’s gorgeous and alive, incredibly fresh for having five years under its belt already, and feels perfect for pairing with the contemplation of an island sunset.
2022 Tenuta di Castellaro ‘Eúxenos’ Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily, $NA
This is 100% Malvasia delle Lipari, which is not Malvasia actually but a likely a very old variety (Greco) from Campania. Usually made into passito dessert wine in the region, here they are focusing on a dry style. Farmed at 350 meters a.s.l. and hand-harvested, there are no added yeasts. Fermentation and maceration take place in submerged cap for about 30 days, and then the wine is aged in cocciopesto amphora for another 10 months. A deeper straw color in the glass, the nose sports toasted almonds, bruised yellow apples, ripe peaches, white fig, and hints of dried herbs and sea spray. It has a broad, rich, mouth-filling palate feel, with the minerality and dried, figgy fruit taking front stage along with almost bracing acidity. The toasty, long finish is rich and perfumed, full of bruised yellow apples, along with dried white flowers. Funky, fresh, and fabulously unique.
Cheers!
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