Bukkuram 1998 is one of the most profound expressions of Marco De Bartoli’s Pantellerian project. It originates in the Bukkuram district, 200 meters above sea level, from Zibibbo vines trained as Pantellerian bush vines on terraced volcanic soils exposed to the southwest.
Half of the grapes are sun-dried for at least four weeks, while the remaining portion continues to ripen on the vine until September. The dried grapes are then added during advanced fermentation and left to macerate for approximately three months, until a balance between alcoholic component, sweetness, and acidity is achieved.
This vintage followed an exceptionally long journey, with 25 years of aging in 225-liter French oak barrels.
Bukkuram district, Pantelleria Island; 200 m a.s.l., southwest exposure.
14.5% vol.
1984
From 35 to 50 years
Reducing sugars: 174 g/l
Acidity: 7.2 g/l
Total SO₂: 48 mg/l
Volcanic, hilly-terraced.
Vineyard surface area: 4 ha
Training system: Pantellerian bush vine; 2,500 vines per hectare.
Manual, in two stages: second week of August and first week of September.
Yield per hectare: 25 hl.
50% of the grapes are sun-dried for at least four weeks in special drying areas enclosed by large lava stone walls. The remaining portion continues to ripen on the vine until September. During advanced fermentation, the previously dried grapes are added and remain in maceration for approximately three months, until a balance between the alcoholic component and residual sugar is achieved.
25 years in 225-liter French oak barrels.
Number of bottles produced: 2,300
Bukkuram, from the Arabic “father of the vineyard,” is the name of the district in Pantelleria where Marco De Bartoli launched his project dedicated to Zibibbo. It was here, starting in the 1980s, that research on Passito di Pantelleria took shape, built through a dialogue with the island’s agricultural tradition and the knowledge of its oldest winemakers.
The Bukkuram 1998 represents one of the historic vintages of this journey. A small production that, through twenty-five years of aging in wood, brings to the extreme the relationship between Zibibbo, appassimento, and time.
The project for this vintage was particularly overseen by Sebastiano “Sebio” De Bartoli, who was deeply connected to Pantelleria and the Bukkuram estate. Over the years, Sebio dedicated a central part of his work to the island, continuing to develop the interpretation of Zibibbo initiated by his father. Bukkuram was one of the wines through which he most directly expressed his relationship with Pantelleria.
12 HA
medium-textured sandy-limestone, flat
alberello and Guyot-trained vertical shoot positioning; 3,500 vines per hectare.
manual in small crates, during the final weeks of September.
Manual selection of grapes, soft pressing, natural sedimentation, traditional fermentation in oak and chestnut barrels at room temperature.
Aging in oak and chestnut barrels with the addition of 5% younger wine each year, using the traditional perpetual method.
8.600
