It was in honor of the territory, the Samperi district in the Marsala hinterland—an arid limestone land rich in minerals, a precious nutrient for the vineyards—that Marco De Bartoli’s first wine took its name: “Vecchio Samperi.” The foundational root from which to develop and spread the concept of “territoriality.”
Western Sicily, Samperi District
16% vol.
1980
Between 20-42 years
Level, medium-textured limestone-sandy soil.
Training system: albarello and Guyot espalier; 3,500 vines per hectare.
Manual in small crates, during the last 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 an addition of 5% younger wine each year, using the traditional perpetual method.
The Vecchio Samperi is the historical testimony of an eternal wine. It was born from a specific challenge: to return Marsala to its original form, before the modifications introduced for commercial needs. Marco De Bartoli chose to recover the perpetual wine method, working with living barrels from old family reserves and historical estates that preserved wines dating back to the early twentieth century.
It is from these masses that the wine takes shape, through a system that never stops. Every year, only a small portion is drawn from the oldest barrel, refilling it with younger wine, in a balance that renews itself without losing its memory. Thus, dozens of harvests coexist in every bottle, layered over time. In the shade houses, the wine breathes, expands, and contracts following the seasons and the ebb and flow of the air.
Every withdrawal is a minimal subtraction, every refill a passing of the torch.
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
