Always eager to experiment, in 1988 Marco De Bartoli also wanted to venture into this type of Marsala, which he had always and deliberately set aside. This was because, in his personal view, the only wine that could bear the adjective ‘vergine’ was Vecchio Samperi, obtained without any added alcohol.
Western Sicily, Contrada Samperi
19% vol.
1988
Between over 20 and over 40 years
Flat, calcareous-sandy, medium texture.
Training System: Guyot espalier; 3,500 vines per hectare.
Manual in small crates, last ten days of September.
Manual selection of grapes, soft pressing, natural sedimentation, traditional fermentation in oak and chestnut barrels at ambient temperature. Fortification with the sole addition of grape spirit obtained from the same grapes, carried out in 1988. Bottled in March 2021. Aging: Over 30 years in chestnut and oak barrels of various sizes. Over 6 months in bottle.
Marsala Vergine Riserva 1988 is a wine of contradiction. In 1988, Marco De Bartoli decided to challenge conventions and create a Marsala that could bear the name ‘vergine’. The result is a wine that is not afraid to break the mold, while maintaining strong ties to tradition.
This Marsala Vergine is the result of a unique process: 100% Grillo from vineyards with roots deep in the soil of C.da Samperi, with bush vines and Guyot espalier. After traditional vinification, fortification occurs with the addition of grape spirit obtained from the same grapes, without other additives.
A wine that ages for over 30 years in chestnut and oak barrels, and is only bottled in 2019, when it reaches the peak of its complexity and balance.
Marsala Vergine Riserva 1988 is the perfect meditation wine, to be savored calmly and attentively, like an extra old distillate. A wine that tells the story of Marco De Bartoli’s work, his spirit of experimentation, and his continuous pursuit of perfection, in a play of contrasts between tradition and modernity.
The estate is located in Contrada Samperi, twelve kilometers from Marsala, on calcareous and sandy soil that the Mediterranean wind sweeps across unimpeded. The baglio dates back to the late nineteenth century — thick walls, filtered light, the scent of aged wood already noticeable from outside. Around it, Grillo vineyards cultivated in the alberello system, as is the tradition of this land.
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
