PRODUCER: Le Cantine Murgo
REGION: Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
WINEMAKERS: Michele Scammacca del Murgo, Nino C.
Despite hailing from outside our natural 'go-to' territories of France and the US West Coast, Le Cantine Murgo has become a regular Roberson fixture. Ticking all the right boxes, this is a family-owned, quality-focused boutique producer. Their whites and reds from the sloped of Mt. Etna are distinctive, thought-provoking wines with a real sense of place that offer outstanding value for money.
WINERY HISTORY
The cellars of Le Cantine Murgo date back to 1860, when the Scammacca del Murgo family – who run the estate to this day – were given 30ha of vines by Senator Luigi Gravina. More than a century later, the San Michele Estate - planted on the steep, volcanic slopes of Mount Etna – underwent a conversion to estate-based production in the late 1970s. Releasing their first bottlings of Nerello Mascalese in 1981, the family has continued to produce some of Sicily’s finest Etna-grown wines for over four decades. They have also expanded across Italy, with holdings in several of Sicily’s diverse terroirs alongside plots near Rome.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
If you're familiar with wines from Etna, you'll know the story. Exciting indigenous grapes, steep, sun kissed slopes, gnarled vines, ancient volcanic soils and a constant, underlying threat of eruption. Dramatically situated at 500m about sea level, Cantine Murgo enjoys both incredible views and a very different climate to the typical Sicilian experience of unrelenting heat. Altitude adds cool night-time temperatures to sun-soaked Sicilian days, lending wonderful freshness and aromatic complexity to Cantine Murgo’s wines, while volcanic soils result in a distinct mineral character throughout the range.
Sustainably farmed from the offset, Murgo is currently undergoing organic conversion as a part of their mission to preserve the distinctive identity of Mount Etna. Their most famous vineyard – Tenuta San Michele – sits 500m above sea level, dominated by the dual influences of Etna and the Ionian Sea. Covering 25ha of mineral-rich, volcanic soils, the fruit off this site produces wines of remarkable personality, finesse, elegance, minerality, and aromatic complexity that define the wines. Winemaking is gentle, with extreme care being taken to protect the delicate nuances of these grapes. By strategically mixing tradition with innovation, the wines of Murgo display both the traditional characteristics of Etna and the unicity of their specific site. Guided by the inseparable connections between land and family, the wines that come to life in the cellars of Murgo are true labours of love.
These are some of the most interesting and delicious wines in our range – don’t hesitate to dive in.
