Azienda Agricola Mortilla Estate
The Nicosia family,today, runs the farm or "Azienda Agricola Mortilla", situated on the slopes of the Iblei Mountains in the district of Chiaramonte Gulfi, in the province of Ragusa.
This family after many years of experience in growing various kind of farm produce particular must grapes,citrus fruits, prickly pears,persimmons and olives, conviced the family that it was time they made a decisive contribution towards the rebirth of Sicilian wines.
This particular area is perfect to growing grapes and therefore the innovative changes introduced by the Nicosia family,always ahead of the times and tenacious cultivators of vines for generations, have made it possibile to produce wines with a well defined personality.
The young vines planted and cultivated on their land at Roccazzo represent the determination and commitment towards a long-term method of selection and improvement of the best of the local grape varieties.
This wines were introduced for the first time, at Vinitaly Wine Fair in 2002, gaining recognition and earning a flattering success, enough to encourage and continue the program of company development.
Today the company continues its development with the support and the active inclusion of "young" sons of Guglielmo and Salvatore, a sign of desire and will of the family Nicosia to continue this long and ancient wine tradition.
The Nicosia family, att he end of the 19th Century began to devote itself to growing wine-making.
Handed down secrets and cultures,from their ancestors,for many years,they became qualified in wine-growing and wine-producing-sector.
Among ancestors,can be remembered the brothers Salvatore and Biagio Nicosia , called "Turi and Suzzu re Saraceni" who produced wines in own builts-up area, and they devoted themselves to the transport and selling all over Sicily ,practing the famous job of "Carrettieri" or carters.
In the Sicily's centre, in Enna, joining-place for the trader,
they opened during the forties, a wide wine cellar called "Funnicu" where the carters would stop and where one could commercialize and taste the wine.
The brothers Salvatore and Biagio Nicosia , undertook this activity for many years till when one concluded the age of carters and they continued the activity in their built–up area. In the sixties, Salvatore'son, Carmelo, increased the activity, purchased small pieces of round in Roccazzo and he continued the production till when his sons, Guglielmo and Salvatore,
the currents owners with their father, planned the restructuring of the old wine-farm.
Insolia or Ansonica: ancient vine of Sicily, it has been no doubt the prince of the Sicilian cellars, before Sicily became earth of election of the great red wines of native grapes and from international grapes.This splendid grape, grape wine's daughter,resistent to the drought,and it growed in Sicily always and it spreaded in the course of centuries also in Sardinia ,in Elba Island and Giglio Island,thanks to Greeks merchants. The Insolia express the best itself,with hot and airy climates,vinificated in pureness,give full-bodied wines and wines of long ageing,but today the tendency is that of combine-it to grape of out place of origin for example the Chardonnay and together with native grapes to make wines of distinct international flavor but that at the same time,express a strong sicilian connotation ;moreover it belongs to composition of nine Sicilian D.O.C wine. The Insolia is straw-yellow colored with green hues, spacious and subtle bouquet, with good intensity; in the flavor result full-bodied,of great structure, in particular are very appreciated the fresh sensations of the Insolia, in harmony with the traces of fruit dry. Today, the secret adopted by Mortilla agrarian farm is select rigorously the grapes them turn originated from a valuable particulary clone "the Dama Sciandone" ,and treat the native wines, as just the Insolia, in the same manner of that internationals and noblest wine.
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This is a 9 liter imperial also called a Salmanazar .
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru 2014 is made from 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the chalky soils of Chouilly.
This Champagne is full of elegance and finesse. Very complex nose, with a bouquet of aromas dominated by honey, brioche and notes of dried fruits, hazelnuts and sweets. Perfectly matured.
Manual harvest; then pressing immediately to avoid oxidation & preserve quality. Free run juice only. Aged six years on the lees.
It matches magnificently with foie gras!
Review:
"Based in Chouilly on the Côte des Blancs, it is obvious this producer will have a Blanc de Blancs Champagne. And very good it is, with some age after six years on lees while still having freshness, crisp acidity and a tight, steely edge. The bottling will benefit from further aging, and it will be at its best from 2022. - ROGER VOSS"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2020), 92 pt
Bernardins Muscat Beaumes Venise VDN 100% Muscat petits grains (75% Blanc, 25% Red)
Copper/rose hue and ripe soft aromas of orange, spice and flowers. The wine is full bodied with the texture of silk and flavors of orange custard, white peach, pear, apricot, toffee and orange peel.
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
In the spirit of respecting traditional techniques and the best elements of modern technology, cellar manager Andrew Hall and his winemaker son Romain Hall take family traditions very seriously.
When making our wines, the Muscat de Beaumes de Venise plays a central role and requires great care. After picking the grapes by hand, we press them straightaway to ferment the juice without skins. We don’t add any yeasts and keep the alcoholic fermentation in check by temperature control. Vin Doux Naturel winemaking involves stopping fermentation to preserve the grapes’ natural sweetness. During vinification, we watch the vats day and night and add the fortifying spirit just at the right moment. At this stage, the wine’s final balance is at stake. The wine is then aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months before bottling.
Review:
"Butterscotch and apricot jam aromas. A lighter vintage of this cuvée, but very fresh and drinkable, and the best Muscat of the vintage by far. 110g/L residual sugar. In conversion to organic. - Matt WALLS"
- Decanter (November 2024), 91 pts