Planeta

The farmers of Menfi call it "Burdisi". This is no nod to France – it is dialect. Burdese is the Sicilian pronunciation of “Bordolese”, and it reveals just how naturally Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have become part of this landscape in south-west Sicily. Not as imported goods, but as part of the local vocabulary. Planeta has adopted the name – and turned it into one of the island’s most distinctive red wines. The vines are planted at the Dispensa estate near Menfi, at altitudes of up to 430 metres, in brooding, calcareous soils of medium texture. A site that provides the Cabernets with the necessary coolness to retain their aromatic precision. Limited quantity, selected plots, harvested in mid-to-late September. Aged in wood for a wine made for long ageing.

The grapes come from the historic centrepiece of the Planeta estate in Ulmo near Sambuca di Sicilia – a vineyard that was planted back in the mid-1980s. The vines are rooted at an altitude of around 250 metres in loamy-sandy soils with a high lime content, not far from Lake Arancio. Deep ruby red in the glass with a purple rim. The nose opens powerfully and invitingly: black cherry, plum, cassis and blueberry, accompanied by cocoa, tobacco, fresh leather and a subtle herbal spice. On the palate, Sito dell'Ulmo is both full-bodied and elegant: dense, with polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, silky finish. The integration of the wood is finely balanced and the fruit always remains in the foreground. A Sicilian Merlot with format, origin and depth. SUPERIORE.DE

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta’s Chardonnay combines the tradition of French grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing one of Italy’s most distinctive white wines year after year. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 metres and Maroccoli at 415 metres above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, fried fish, poultry in butter sauce, or on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1985, Chardonnay was a provocation in Sicily. The lemon trees around Menfi were worth so little that it was hardly worth harvesting them. Diego Planeta had them uprooted – and planted Chardonnay on four hectares on the shores of Lago Arancio. What many thought was escapism was method: Diego knew that the island was capable of more than its reputation at the time suggested. Four years later, Carlo Corino from Piedmont, one of Italy's best Chardonnay specialists, arrived and helped to sharpen the wine's identity. The first vines from those years are still standing. Today, they are the starting point for Didacus – a tribute by the next generation to the patriarch whose Latin name it bears. Hand-picked from the best grapes from the historic vineyard, they are fermented and matured in barriques from the forests of Nevers, Vosges and Allier. Ten months – not a day more than necessary.

A Sicilian Cabernet Franc that can only be produced by Planeta – inspired by the elegance of great Bordeaux, yet deeply rooted in the terroir of the Menfi Hills. Didacus is a tribute to the family, named after Diego Planeta, the visionary founder of the winery. The grapes come from carefully tended plots on chalky soils, where they develop their aromatic ripeness and structure under the Mediterranean sun and fresh winds from the nearby coast. After fermentation, the wine matured for 21 months in French barriques before being left to rest for two years in the bottle.