Chardonnay Sicilia Menfi DOC

Planeta’s journey began at Sambuca di Sicilia, on the estate owned by the family since the 1600s. Here, three enthusiastic young Sicilians, Alessio, Francesca and Santi Planeta, under the guidance of Diego Planeta, began their winemaking venture in the mid-1980s. Subsequent years were spent matching the extraordinarily diverse Sicilian soils with both indigenous and international varieties. Planeta today encompasses six distinct wine estates in five regions across Sicily; Ulmo at Sambuca di Sicilia, Dispensa at Menfi, Dorilli at Vittoria, Buonivini at Noto, Sciara Nuova on Etna at Castiglione di Sicilia, and the newest addition, La Baronia at Capo Milazzo. Each vineyard site is carefully cultivated with grapes that best compliment the local terroir. This is the 30th vintage of their Menfi Chardonnay and it more than delivers on Planeta’s vision of wine: elegance and tradition, the family and the future.

There is no doubt that the 2024 harvest in Sicily will be remembered for low production, however, the quality is excellent. A summery and bright harvest in Menfi, with excellent quality for the whites, which were very defined and balanced. Chardonnay, harvested early, showed a beautiful aromatic profile. Organic vineyard management shows its strong suite in dry vintages and allowed maximum results, with perfect grapes and no human intervention.

The grapes were picked by hand in 16kg crates, and refrigerated at 12-14 °C. They were then destemmed, crushed, and passed to soft pressing and static sedimentation at a low temperature, 6-7 °C. The clear liquid was decanted and fermented into 225-liter Allier oak barrels (40% new, 30% second usage, 30% third usage) at about 17-19 °C for 5-7 days. At the end of fermentation the wine was refined on the primary lees, with weekly bâtonnage for the first five months, then every 14 days, until completion at 11 months; bottling occurred in August 2025.

Pale gold, wood-fermented Chardonnay with apricot, peach, pink grapefruit, beeswax and honey. The palate is super-fresh from the high altitudes of the site, with a complex, mineral finish.