Attractive citrus and stone fruit aromas greet the nose – lemon-lime, peach, and apricot, in particular – along with floral notes and a seashell-like minerality. Up front, lime, apricot, apple and melon flavors intermingle with herb and raw almond and give way to chalky mineral, more herb and a touch of salinity through the lingering finish. 

 

In 1968, French-born, Count Hugues Bernard de la Gatinais, and his wife, Gigi Guarrasi from Palermo, inherited the Rapitalà estate from the Guarrasi family. Given that much of the property had been destroyed by an earthquake, the couple rebuilt and modernized the winery, converted farming practices, and replanted the vineyards to include indigenous varieties along with French varietals. Rapitalà was one of the first five producers in Sicily to offer estate bottled wines, starting with the 1976 vintage, and has become one of the most prestigious wineries on the island. Today, Laurent de la Gatinais (the son of Hugues de la Gatinais and Gigi) manages the estate with the same passion and dedication as his parents.   

 

The name Rapitalà is Arabic in origin; “Rabidh-Allah,” meaning the “river of Allah”, refers to the stream that flows among the vineyards and is a nod to the area’s heritage of land cultivation dating back to ancient times. The Rapitalà estate covers 555 acres in the district sloping down from Camporeale toward Alcamo on rolling hills 1,000-2,000 feet above sea level that are rich in clay and sandy soils. The property’s acreage consists of 180 unique vineyard parcels, each of which is managed, harvested and vinified separately in order to yield optimal terroir expressions. 

 

The Catarratto grapes used to produce this wine come from selected estate parcels in Vigna Casalj – a 25-acre registered “cru” in the high elevation Alcamo Classico DOC – located at the summit of the mountain that dominates the historic estate. Grape harvest takes place at the end of September. On arriving at the winery, the grapes are stored in a temperature- controlled, oxygen-restricted area until they undergo soft pressing and cold settling. They subsequently ferment in selected yeasts at a controlled temperature for two weeks. After fermentation, the wine remains on its fine lees until March and then ages for three months in 50 hl French oak barrels.