Chiarandà Sicilian Doc White Wine Donnafugata

Chiarandà Chardonnay Contessa Entellina Doc Sicilia - Donnafugata

As in many Donnafugata white wine labels, the protagonist is a woman with enchantingly closed eyes. The female figure, placed on the pedestal, is enriched with geometric and naturalistic decorations that accentuate its lightness and airiness. An image in which everything speaks of Sicily. The dark hair that frames the face of the noblewoman, the pinwheels and ramages of the finest Sicilian goldsmith art, the prickly pear and palm of nature and ceramics, the golden bunch of Chardonnay. A complex and elegant mirror image of Donnafugata's wine-jewel.

Straw yellow in color, it offers a complex bouquet with notes of peach, wildflowers and elegant hints of hazelnuts and butter, given by the long aging. In the mouth it is broad and structured, with a pleasant sapid and mineral texture. A long-lasting white, rich in nuances and with great aging potential.

DENOMINATION: Chardonnay Contessa Entellina Doc Sicilia
GRAPES: Chardonnay.
PRODUCTION ZONE: south-western Sicily, Contessa Entellina Estate and neighboring areas.
TERRAINS & CLIMATE: altitude from 200 to 300 m a.m.s.l. (656- 1,312 ft); hilly orography; clay loam soils with a sub-alkaline reaction (pH 7.5 to 7.9) rich in nutritive elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, zinc) and total limestone from 20 to 35%. Mild winters with little rainfall. Warm, dry, ventilated summers. Substantial differences between day and night-time temperatures.
VINEYARD:  VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) training with spurred cordon pruning, leaving 6 to 8 buds per plant. Density 5,000 to 6,000 plants per hectare (2,000-2,400 plants an acre), yields of 5–6 tons per hectare (2-2.4 tons an acre).
VINTAGE 2017: in this vintage at Contessa Entellina, 555 mm* of rain was recorded, a figure that is a little below the average of 662 mm**. Since rainfall was mainly concentrated in autumn and winter, during the summer months of June and July, we intervened with emergency irrigation. Thus the vineyards were able to complete the vegetation-production cycle in a regular manner. Regarding temperatures, between July and August, values were higher than seasonal averages and this resulted in the ripening of all the varieties cultivated in the area 1-2 weeks earlier than usual. Despite the peak temperatures, in this period of the summer, good temperature ranges between day and night have given healthy grapes with an excellent aromatic and phenolic maturation. *VINTAGE: in Contessa Entellina we consider the period from October 1 to September 30; RAINFALL: data collected by SIAS, (Sicilian Agrometeorological Service); the average is calculated from vintage 2003 to vintage 2017.
HARVESTING:manual harvesting of grapes into crates with careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard. The Chardonnay destined for the production of Chiarandà was harvested in the first decade of August.
VINIFICATION:  fermentation: in stainless steel, at a temperature of 14-16°C (57-61° F). Then the wine ages partially matured in oak (65% in first and second passage barriques) for 8 months on its noble lees, partially in small cement vats (35%); finally it is fined in the bottle for at least 14 months.
ANALYSIS DATA: alcohol 13.35% ABV, total acidity 5.4 g/l., pH: 3.27.
TASTING NOTES (July 2, 2019): Chiarandà 2017 has a straw yellow color. The nose offers a complex bouquet with scents of stone fruit (peach), wildflowers (broom), and elegant buttery and hazelnut scents coming from the ageing process. The palate is ample and well-structured, with pleasant savoury notes and a long mineral finish. A withe very rich in nuances and with a long persistence. Chiarandà has also a great ageing potential.
LONGEVITY: over 15 years.
FIRST VINTAGE: 1992.
FOOD & WINE:perfect with dishes of fish, also smoked ones, and white meat; try with risotto, legumes and mediumaged cheeses. Serve it in large, relatively tall goblets; uncork 30 minutes before serving; excellent at 11-13°C (52-55°F).
WHEN YOU DESIRE TO: live a sophisticated, sensorial experience. Share your passion for elegant wines with great aging potential. Enjoy a moment of pure beauty.
DIALOGUE WITH ART:  the wine made its debut in 1992 as Chiarandà del Merlo from the names of the two vineyards where the Ansonica and Chardonnay grapes were grown. Ten years later the name has been simplified to Chiarandà and the label has been enriched with a female figure that suggests complexity and refinement.

Please note: Upon shipment of wine and spirits are carried ONLY in Italy.