Contrada Dafara Galluzzo, in the village of Rovittello (Castiglione di Sicilia), on the northern slope of Mount Etna, particularly suited for Nerello Mascalese.

Appellation: Etna DOC Rosso

Altitude:750 m a.s.l. / 2,500 ft a.s.l.

Climate: Mountain climate, humid and rainy in the cooler season, with high ventilation and significant temperature excursions.

Vine Age: Mostly young

Training: Head-trained, short-pruned bush vines (“alberello”) grown on small terraces with dry lava-stone walls

Soil: Sandy, volcanic, rich in minerals, with sub-acid reaction (pH 6.2)

Vine Density: Approximately 8,000 vinestocks per hectare (3,239 vines per acre)

Yield: 6,500 kg/ha

Grapes are hand-picked during the 4th week of October, de stemmed and softly pressed. Fermentation occurs at a controlled temperature in stainless steel vats, with a 21 days long maceration, using a specific indigenous yeast selected in the vineyard by Benanti. The maturation then continues in used tonneaux of French oak for about 12 months and then in stainless steel tanks.

Color: Pale, ruby
Scent: Ethereal, spicy, with scents of red fruit
Taste and Body: Dry, medium-to-full bodied, distinctively tannic, balanced and persistent