Cristo di Campobello is a family estate in the hills around Campobello di Licata, in the province of Agrigento, and this is its white blend from the Sicilian IGP. Three grapes go in: Chardonnay, Grillo and Inzolia, a combination that only exists because Sicily grows all three well within a short drive of each other.
- IGP Sicilia, the island's regional appellation.
- Chardonnay, Grillo, Inzolia — three grapes, one bottle.
- 2023, a warm and generous Sicilian vintage.
- 12.5% ABV, dry, medium body.
- 750ml.
How it is made
Grillo and Inzolia are the workhorses of Sicilian white wine, both of them heat-tolerant and both of them capable of holding acidity through a hot summer. Chardonnay brings the softness in the middle. The IGP is a broad appellation: it sets fewer rules than a DOC, which lets a producer blend across varieties and still label the wine by the island.
How it tastes
Yellow flowers and white melon on the nose, then apple. On the palate, white peach and citrus zest, with a saline edge and a soft minerality underneath. Medium acidity, low tannin, a texture that stays round rather than sharp. Almond shows up on the finish, which is a marker of Grillo in particular.
Where it comes from
Sicily is the largest wine-producing island in the Mediterranean, and the south coast around Agrigento runs hot and dry with wide day-to-night temperature swings. That swing is what keeps the grapes from going flat. The IGP Sicilia covers the whole island, so the appellation says Sicily rather than a single hillside.
Good to know
Grillo was long grown in Sicily as a blending grape and only came into its own as a varietal wine in the last few decades, after growers started picking it earlier to keep the freshness. Inzolia, known in the west of the island as Ansonica, has been planted there for centuries.
