Winemaker Notes
The grapes are harvested slightly before they reach full maturation, so as to preserve some degree of acidity and maintain the freshness of the palate and the longevity that the white wine of Mozia has demonstrated over the years.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Tenuta Regaleali Tasca d'Almerita brand, Tenuta Whitaker is a very special estate on the tiny island of Mozia, surrounded by salt fields, that is an outstanding destination for lovers of ancient Phoenician art and culture. Indeed, this 2023 Sicilia Grillo Mozia is an exceptional product of unique lagoon-like growing conditions at sea level with loose sandy limestone soils with a salty marine base directly underground. Head-pruned vines with long pruning cuts that are typical of the Masala area are used in this vineyard. Winemaking is very simple, with five months of lees aging in stainless steel. This wine brings you straight to a sense of place. You can smell the sea breezes and taste those salt fields. There is so much brightness and pretty citrus fruit packed into a bottle that is simple, yes, but also exceptionally refreshening. This is one of my summer go-to wines.
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Vinous
The 2023 Grillo Mozia is youthfully coy yet bursting at the seams, revealing a delicate blend of chamomile, green melon and hints of candied lime. This blends savory and sweet, with ripe orchard fruits and silky textures offset by a stream of zesty acidity. Sweet herbal tones emerge toward the close. This tapers off with tremendous length and a salty tinge, leaving a green citrus resonance to gradually recede. The Mozia hails from albarello-trained vines growing in sandy soils, at and slightly below sea level. This is one of the most characterful Grillos produced in Italy today.
Full-bodied and delicately aromatic, Grillo is one of Sicily’s most valued white grape varieties. While it is an important ingredient in Marsala, it also makes a delicious dry white on its own or does well blended. Somm Secret—Grillo is a natural genetic cross of Sicily’s indigenous Catarratto with Muscat of Alexandria and typically grows well in the gobelet system (bush vines).
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.