The creation of Count Paolo Marzotto, Ficiligno is one of the Sicilian winery Baglio di Pianetto’s most popular white wines – a testament that withstands the test of time.
A blend of Insolia, one of the most widespread native Sicilian varieties on the island and which in Sicily finds its highest expression in the high hills, and Viognier, a grape variety that has for centuries had its cradle of choice in the Rhone Valley in France but which also extraordinarily expresses itself at high levels in the vineyards of Tenuta Pianetto.
Baglio di Pianetto and the Style of the Count
Cultivated high hills of Santa Cristina Gela a few kilometers from Palermo, these are the grapes that make up the totally organic Ficiligno, one of Baglio di Pianetto’s most iconic white wines – long appreciated, the wine reflects the particularly refined style of Count Paolo Marzotto and his Sicilian estate founded in 1997.
The Character of Ficiligno
“Ficiligno is a bit of an emblem for our Alta Collina wines,” explains Francesco Tiralongo, managing director of Baglio di Pianetto, “the result of an idea of Count Paolo Marzotto, who wanted to express in a single wine, French elegance and the character of Sicily’s indigenous grape varieties, proving, and time has been his witness, that in Sicily it is possible to produce very long-lived white wines. The 2001 vintage of Ficiligno for example, twenty years after its release, still expresses a surprising freshness.”
It is a wine that does not fear the challenge of time, with nuances that make it suitable for both the less experienced wine lover and the more discerning palate. Ficiligno, an organic wine with a straw-yellow color with golden reflections, fades to increasingly intense tones with the passage of time; on first release it expresses great exuberance and fruity richness, never with excessive notes. As it evolves, these hints turn to more mature nuances that make it a complex and enveloping wine that surprises with its unexpected freshness.
Endowed with great character, Ficiligno is an excellent ally at the table capable of expressing its traits to the fullest when paired with shellfish-based risottos or many types of unripened cheeses in the first years after its release, it will know, however, over time, how to give satisfaction even with preparations richer in flavors and ingredients. Together with Ramione in fact, a wise red blend of Nero d’Avola and Merlot, it is proposed in a special package dedicated to the first two historical labels of Baglio di Pianetto “Le Origini,” certainly a sought-after bottle for those who want a white wine that ages well in the bottle.