"Alice Bonaccorsi, Etna at it's best"
Bonaccorsi family has been tending the vineyards on the eastern slope of Etna at an altitude of 500--‐850 meters for four generations. The high altitude and the volcanic soil produce wines of immense character and structure. A doctor by trade, Vincenzo Bonaccorsi made family wine on the side for many years. He called this wine VALCERASA.
In 1996, Alice Bonaccorsi began making wines with her father, Vincenzo, in a more serious manner.
They enlisted the help of enologist Salvo Foti in the early years to help them get the property off the ground. They released their first vintage in 1997, with great success.
This encouraged them to purchase more vineyards and today the Estate totals 20 ha.
The Estate is located on the northeastern side of Mt. Etna, between the villages of Passopisciaro and Randazzo.
As of 2003, Alice is the sole proprietor of VALCERASA. She manages the Estate with her husband, Rosario Pappalardo. Only indigenous varietals are grown. This includes Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante. As the agronomist, Alice maintains the traditional goblet trellising system that severely limits yields and in turn produces concentrated and intense wines.
She farms the beautifully trellised volcanic vineyards organically. The Estate is rich in gnarly old vines that lend complexity and character through naturally low yields. The newer plantations of Nerello Mascalese and Cappuccio are planted via selection massal, from the best old vines on the original Estate.
List of wines
ValCerasa's Etna Bianco is 100% Carricante from a small vineyard that Alice tends on the south side of the volcano. The wine shows Pink Lady apple, Bosc pear and lemon curd, mingling with hazelnut, honey, and linden flowers. There is stony minerality and great verve in the wines. It is pure with great texture.
Rossorelativo is a Rosé of Nerello Mascalese. It undergoes a 12 hour maceration and spends 4 days in large foudres before being transferred to tank to finish fermentation. The wine is ripe with strawberries, orangem peel, dried apricot, roses, and
ValCerasa's Etna Rosso is traditionally 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, though the exact percentages vary by vintage. It is made from an average of 35 year-old vines. Dried cherries, red plum, and strawberries tease the palate with aromas of dried flowers, cured meats, pepper and leather. It is both fresh and savory with a strong core of minerality. It is very classic and elegant. While one cannot really classify Etna wines in terms of traditionalism or modernity, this wine is a far cry from the over-extracted and over-oaked Etna wines that seem to be prevalent in the market today.
Cru Cimonaci is an old vineyard of 70 year-old Nerello Mascalese and Cappuccio vines. The wine is vinified and aged in large French Oak foudres for 36 months. The wine has beautiful, lilted red stone fruits and berries. Rose and hibiscus accentuate a nose layered with smoke, peppery spice, and bergamot tea. The wine has a harmonious texture that is at once silky and yet firm with tannins. The finish is lengthy with pronounced rocky mineral flavors.
