Contrada Monte Serra, on the slopes of Monte Serra, an ancient extinct volcanic cone within the territory of the village of Viagrande (CT), on the south-eastern flank of Mount Etna

Appellation: Etna DOC Rosso

Climate: High hill climate, humid and rainy in the cooler season, with high ventilation and luminosity

Altitude: 450 m a.s.l. / 1,500 ft a.s.l.

Vine Age: Ranging from 14 to 100+ years old.

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 6.3)

Density: 9,000 vinestocks per hectare (3,644 vines per acre)

Yield: 6,500 kg/ha

Grapes are hand-picked in late September / early October, de-stemmed and softly pressed. Fermentation occurs at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, with a 21 days long maceration, using an indigenous yeast selected in the vineyards by Benanti Maturation occurs in used tonneaux of French oak for about 12 months.

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