Lot presentation

Terre Siciliane IGT Munjebel Bianco Frank Cornelissen 2020

The wine

This white cuvée, a rare sight from this domain, is made of the local grape varieties Grecanico Dorato, Coda di Volupe and Carricante. The vines are found the volcanic soil of Mount Etna’s northern valley. The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed, and lightly pressed before undergoing a skin-contact maceration for four days. This gives the wine more structure and a more intense colour. Fermentation is instigated by indigenous yeasts to confer all the exceptional features of the Etna terroir to the wine. The wine is then matured in inert containers to conserve all its freshness. It has an intense yellow colour, and its nose gives off powerful notes of white fruit and almonds. On the palate, this delicate wine has a very slight bitterness due to its carbonic maceration. It can easily be aged for 5 to 10 years in the cellar. In terms of food pairings, we recommend a dish such as white fish or poultry served with fresh vegetables.

About the Producer Frank Cornelissen

Located in Sicily, Domaine Frank Cornelissen was founded in 2001 and spans around 24 hectares of land between 650 and 980m of altitude, including 2 hectares for growing olive trees (for making olive oil) and buckwheat. The main grape varieties grown here are Nerello Mascalese, Allicante-Bouschet, Minella Nera, Uva Francese, Nerello Capuccio, Minella Bianca and Inzolia for the reds, and Carricante, Grecanico Dorato and Coda di Volpe for the whites. Ideally situated, this domain is very natural in its methods. The use of additives is avoided apart from sulphur in the more complicated vintages. Yields are limited and harvesting takes place quite late in order to obtain optimal maturity in the grapes. Work in the winery is careful, with maturation taking place in terracotta pots. These wines express their terroir and strong personality wonderfully.

Detailed characteristics