Mortellito "Cala Iancu" Bianco 2024

Press 4 Mix/White • October/November 2026 Direct Press Selection

Dario Serrentino was selling his grapes to winemakers and eventually realized he could make the wine himself — and that there was a market for his modest level of production in places like New York. This shift has been happening a lot in the past few decades, empowering to families and farmers in many ways and has transformed not only Burgundy and Champagne, but less-rarefied regions like the Val di Nota in southeast Sicily, where Dario makes the Il Mortellito wines.

Dario's viticulture practices were at a level that Sicilian natural-wine celebrity Frank Cornelissen was purchasing his grapes until a few years ago. He has about 25 hectares, 15 of which are under vine, the rest are planted to olive and almond trees. The vines are a mix of the local Moscato di Noto, Grillo, Catarratto, Frappato, and Nero d'Avola. Though the vines are at roughly the same latitude as North Africa, there are cooling influences from the Mediterranean Sea and  a strong mineral influence imparted by the chalky, white limestone soils. 

"Cala Iancu" is a glass full of bracing refreshment. This blend of Grillo and Catarratto gives off an engaging mix of golden currant, toasted sesame, seaweed, and grilled peach aromas. The palate is all about refreshing mineral texture, with preserved lemon, crunchy apple, and the sensation of rocky beach sea spray. Invigorating and restorative, like a cold glass of Vichy Catalan after a day in 95 degree heat.

The limestone in the soils here is a key to giving the normally laconic Grillo grape a chalky definition that is irresistible. There is apparently a local phrase about the grapes 'taking in the sun and then taking a bath' in the cooler breezes off the Mediterranean at night. Dario Serrentino does a great job of making a wine where you can sense all of those elements. From younger vines, native yeast fermentation and aging all in steel tank. Jonathan Kemp