Faro DOC 'Palari' 2013 (750 ml.) - Palari

THE WINE

Faro 'Palari' by Palari is unanimously recognized as the 'lighthouse of the lighthouse', thanks to the courage and stubbornness of the patron Salvatore Geraci. In the Palari district, in Santo Stefano Briga di Messina, the vineyards of the winery extend to a kilometer and a half from the sea, with ancient native vines: nerello, nocera, capp tignolino, core'e palumba, acitana, galatena, calabrese, and others again, all grapes that enter the disciplinary for the production of Faro Doc. The vineyards are trained in sapling on very steep sandy soils, with vines aged up to 80 years. The extraordinary nature of this red wine lies in the balance and elegance that are almost reminiscent of a Bordeaux. A name that represents a guarantee.

THE COMPANY

Salvatore Geraci, in the 1980s, was a famous and successful architect; he has always looked at wine as a genuine product, coming from the family vineyard, but he never would have thought of making it a profession. The turning point is represented by a chat with his friend Luigi Veronelli, who urges him both to bottle his wine and to enhance the production of another that was gradually disappearing, namely the Faro, an ancient and noble Messina wine obtained from nerello mascalese grapes. Luigi immediately puts him in contact with Donato Lanati, an established Piedmontese oenologist, who embraces the project and enhances it as soon as he sees Salvatore's vineyard, a splendid sapling vineyard of 4 hectares, on a very steep slope overlooking the Messina Strait.

Today Salvatore's company is based in a beautiful eighteenth-century villa in Santo Stefano Briga, in the province of Messina and, although small, the vineyard area does not exceed, in fact, 6 hectares, it represents one of the most beautiful wineries in the region. In the almost 6 hectares of vineyards mainly nerello mascalese, nerello cappo and nocera are grown, but also almost unknown native vines, such as acitana and galatea. The particular position of the vineyard, overlooking the strait, a slope close to 70%, the nature of the soil, the pruning aimed at quality, the very low yields of less than a kilogram and a modern production philosophy are the keys to the success of this beautiful winery.

In the Palari cellar, then, the maturation times and the use of the barrique are wisely controlled by Salvatore Geraci himself, who does not use clarification and filtration processes; moreover, in addition to the flagship product of the winery, the Faro, also the Rosso di Soprano is a wine of great elegance, to be watched with interest. The company, now known as the 'lighthouse of the lighthouse', thanks to the courage and stubbornness of its owner, has the merit of having given new life to a wine that has almost disappeared, today much appreciated by critics and consumers.