Vino di Anna 'Jeudi 15' Rosso 2023

Etna, Sicily

Nerello Mascalese with small amounts of Nerello Cappuccio and Alicante

Crimson red in colour, this wine has attractive aromas of red cherries and strawberries, coupled with blood orange and white flowers. The palate is flavoursome with red fruit flavours and underlying spice. Tannins are ripe and juicy with mineral undertones. A more fruit-driven vintage than the structured 2022.

“Jeudi 15” Rosso 2023 was one of the few wines the estate had grapes to produce in 2023. A devasting attack of the fungal disease, downy mildew (peronospera) during the flowering and bunch formation of Nerello Mascalese, late June meant a large percentage of vines failed to produce fruit for the 2023 harvest. Thankfully, some of the older vines, in deep, sandy volcanic soils, proved more resistant, so too Nerello Cappuccio and Grenache.

Small quantities of healthy, ripe bunches of grapes were hand harvested from organically farmed, 70- 80 year old bush vine vineyards, located in the contrade of MonteLaguardia, Allegracore and Crasa during the last week of September. Harvest continued to be slightly earlier than the norm due to the warm growing season. 80% of the grapes were de-stemmed by hand into an open 30hl wooden fermenter. The rest of the grapes were added as whole bunches. Several mastellone (10hl food-grade plastic tubs) were also filled with grapes, 100% de-stemmed. Fermentation was conducted spontaneously by indigenous yeasts without temperature control. The fermenting musts were plunged down daily, by foot, hand or wooden stick and pressed after 10 -12 days. The new wine underwent malolactic fermentation and remained on fine lees, in two large, used 20hl oak cask, before blending in February 2024. The wine was bottled at the end of April 2024, being neither fined nor filtered.

Why is this cuvee called “Jeudi 15”? - in recognition of the harvest day and date the first year this wine was made, Thursday 15th October 2009 - (Jeudi being French for Thursday)