Benanti 'Contrada Cavaliere' Etna Bianco 2020

Vineyard in Contrada Cavaliere, south-west slope of Mount Etna, within the municipality of Santa Maria di Licodia. This contrada is known for its high elevation, low rainfall rate and abundant luminosity. Carricante, the noble autochthonous white grape grown on the Etna volcano. The grape is medium in size with very pruinose skin, and a greenish-yellow color. The bunches are of medium length with scattered berries. The soil is sandy volcanic, rich in skeleton and minerals, with a sub-acid profile. The 50-year-old vines are trained in rows and pruned using the Guyot system, with a planting density of 6,500 plants per hectare and a yield of 6,000 kg/ha. The mountainous climate is humid but less rainy than in other areas of Etna in the colder season, with good ventilation and very significant temperature changes between day and night. In the cellar, they are de-stemmed and pressed softly. Fermentation takes place over about 12 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature, using