Sorrentino `Catalò` Catalanesca 2020

'Catalò' a fresh white made from the local Catalanesca grape, indigenous to Catalonia. The vines are located at an altitude of 300-400 metres above sea level, on Vesuvio’s volcanic southern slopes. The wine is intensely aromatic and wild, with aromas of lemon, almond and anise. On the palate the wine is mineral, full and elegant with an eternal finish. A lovely balance of weight and freshness.

The Sorrentino family has farmed land on Vesuvio’s southern slopes – just a few miles from Pompei – for decades. Paolo Sorrentino inherited his passion for indigenous varieties from his mother, who is known as Nonna Benigna. As a young girl during World War II, Nonna Benigna took it upon herself to tend to the family’s vines. Her legacy endures and today her grandchildren Benigna, Maria Paola and Giuseppe work alongside their parents in the vineyards and winery. In the early nineties, Paolo and his wife Angela expanded the estate, which now covers 35 hectares. The vineyards sit between 200 and 700 metres above sea level on highly porous, fragmented volcanic soil. This provides good drainage as well as protection from the aphid phylloxera, allowing all Sorrentino’s vines to remain ungrafted. In certain plots, traditional tomato varieties, such as Piennolo, grow between the vine rows – just as they would have done in Nonna Benigna’s day when ‘promiscuous agriculture’ was the norm.