Description
Curatolo Arini ‘Paccamora’ Catarratto
Curatolo Arini is a legendary family in Marsala who, like so many traditional Marsala producers (their winery dates to 1875), pivoted to producing dry whites and reds as consumer tastes shifted. Although they continue to produce Marsala, wines like this crisp Catarratto—produced with the help of consultant enologist Alberto Antonini—are now the focus of the estate.
The source vineyards for this wine are in Western Sicily, in the communes of Vita and Salemi, in the Trapani province. Located about 50 km northeast of Marsala and climbing to elevations of about 300 meters, these east-facing parcels are rooted in soils of sandy clay and benefit from wide variations in day/night temperatures. Given its Sicilian origins, you might expect it to be a rich, syrupy monolith, but it’s a tribute to the adaptations of grape to place that you get freshness, florals and nerve instead. After de-stemming and a brief skin maceration, the must is softly pressed and the juice is fermented and aged in stainless steel.
The wine shines a deep yellow-gold in the glass, with expressive aromas of citrus blossoms, honeysuckle, mango, wild herbs, and crushed stones. The medium-bodied palate (leaning toward medium-plus) has a slight waxiness to it reminiscent of Marsanne/Roussanne/Viognier, and, as in the better examples of those, that textural richness is counterbalanced by freshness and minerality.
