Description
Tenuta Rapitalà’s Grand Cru is named Conte Hugues Chardonnay Sicilia DOC, in honor of Tenute Rapitalà’s founder and a great winemaker.
The chardonnay is a fine expression of the character of the estate. The selected parcels feature the estate’s oldest vines, planted in 1982. Specific vinification techniques enhance its typicity and its prestigious bottle, with a relief of the ancient and noble coat of arms of the family of Hugues Bernard Count de la Gatinais, makes “Grand Cru” a wine that represents the strong personality, legacy and singularity of the estate.
Terroir: Fully-ripe fruit is harvested in August. White-wine vinification includes a gentle pressing and cold settling of the young must, part of which undergoes a short (12 hours) cold maceration, followed by classic decanting and alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats.
Vinification: The grapes are picked in August when they are fully ripe and richness is at its maximum. The grapes are gently pressed and cold settled. Part of the must undergoes a short (12 hours) cold maceration, followed by classic decanting. Fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks. When the must achieves 4-5% alcohol, the wine is racked into French oak barriques where fermentation is completed. The wine then ages on its lees in French oak barriques for 9-12 months. It is then bottle refined for a minimum of three months before release.
The name Tenuta Rapitala roughly translates into “Estate of the river of God” and given its location nestled in the hills of NW Sicily it is likely aptly named. The vineyard was founded in 1968 after Hugues Bernard, a former French Naval Officer, married a local descendant of one of Palermo’s great families. Hugues was amongst the first to plant French grape varietals in the area while employing Burgundian winemaking techniques such as gentle pressing and letting the wine rest on lees in French oak. Made from Chardonnay grapes, the wine presents aroma and flavour of peach, pear, butter, gentle smoke, butterscotch, honey, vanilla and marzipan. Medium bodied and dry, there is enough freshness to keep the round palate full yet crisp. A fun alternative Chardonnay that would intrigue guests and pair wonderfully with smoked whitefish.
