NAME’S ORIGIN: the “Ra’Is” was the leader of the Sicilian tuna fishermen during the dangerous and exhausting rite known as “mattanza”. Baglio di Pianetto’s homage to the blue waters of Marzamemi and Sicily’s maritime traditions.

DENOMINATION: IGT Terre Siciliane.
LOCATION: Contrada Baroni, Noto (SR).
YIELD PER HECTARE: 4.5 tonnes.
VINE DENSITY: 5.050 plants per ha.
SOIL QUALITY: medium-textured calcareous-clay soil. ELEVATION: 50 m a.s.l.

TRAINING SYSTEM: vertical trellises. PRUNING: spur-trained cordons, 8/10 buds. BOTTLES PRODUCED: 9.700.
FIRST VINTAGE: 2005.
GRAPE BLEND: Moscato.
HARVEST: manual, August and September.

VINIFICATION: grapes are handpicked and collected into wooden crates, for a preliminary manual sorting, at the end of two different harvests: an early picking of slightly under-ripe fruit in order to obtain a higher acidic con- centration and a subsequent harvest of naturally raisined

grapes which are allowed to macerate on the skins to bring out their full varietal character. The fruit is then transferred onto conveyor belts, selected, destemmed and lightly pressed. Each of the two harvests undergoes fer- mentation separately, to ensure the greatest complexity to the final bou- quet. Decanting is natural, without any addition of sulphites or inorganic fermentation starters, aided only by temperature reduction to separate the lees. Alcoholic fermentation lasts 40-60 days. The grapes collected during the later harvest begin the fermentation process on the skins in steel vats and are then left to macerate for a week at a temperature of 8°C. The fre- e-run must is then transferred into fermentation vats until it is fully mature.

AGEING: The early harvest undergoes sur lie aging in steel tanks for one year, while the raisined late harvest is transferred into lightly-toasted French oak barriques. The wine is then bottled and left to perfect for a minimum of two years.

TOTAL ACIDITY: 7.65 g/L.

ALCOHOL: 13,5%.

TASTING NOTES:

COLOUR: clear golden yellow with copper highlights.

AROMA: intense and lingering fragrance with notes of citrus and candied orange peel, apricot, honey and date fruit.

FLAVOUR AND TEXTURE: fresh and slightly sweet, a perfect balance of sugar and acidity, with pleasant hints of almond praline.

FOOD PAIRINGS: a dessert wine, perfect with patisserie and biscuits.

IDEAL SERVING TEMPERATURE: 9°.