2019 Ciro Biondi Etna Rosso Cisterna Fuori

WINEMAKER: Ciro Biondi
REGION: Sicily, IT
VARIETAL: Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio
VITICULTURE: Organic

‘Cisterna Fuori’ means ‘outside cistern’ and is a reference to an ancient water cistern in the middle of this vineyard site. This vineyard has been owned by the Biondi family for many centuries and is also used to grow red grapes. The vines lie on the side of a spent crater, which dates 125 BCE, and is very steep with supporting dry stone terraced walls. This site is in the opposing crater to ‘San Nicolo’, and is essentially across the street. Despite the closer proximity, the variety in exposure and temperature creates two totally different wines - San Nicolo’s elegance and perfume offers an amazing contrast to Cisterna Fuori’s power and complexity. Ciro and Stef Biondi were married in the very heart of this vineyard in 2004.

"The reputation of the wines of Mount Etna, the enormous active volcano that dominates the north-eastern corner of Sicily, has shot up in the last few years. It is now known as one of the best wine-producing areas in Italy; I think correctly. Ciro Biondi's family has owned vineyards in this area since at least 1800, and first sold bottled wine under their label a century ago; the modern iteration of the Biondi winery started in 1999. Ciro (an architect by training) and his wife Stef own three vineyards near the small town of Trecastagni, and have reworked an old palmento in one of their vineyards as a winery. Barrel storage is in the little old cellar of the family house in the center of Trecastagni." - Importer