Sallier de La Tour
The Estate
The Sallier de La Tour Estate is located in the Alto Belice, a few kilometers from Palermo, in the DOC Monreale wine area. What most fascinates Tasca d'Almerita, when it decided to start the "Sallier" project in 2008, were the landscape and the cultural context: Monte Jato archeological park preserves important structures dating back to the magna Graecia settlements, the nearby town of Monreale is among the most evocative towns of the island and is famous for its magnificent medieval cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Estate is owned by the Sallier de La Tour family, Princes of Camporeale, from the mid-nineteenth century. The winery, called La Monaca, is named after the hill behind the Estate, built in 1909. The creation of the three hill lakes - still present in the Estate - and the planting of new vineyards date back to the 1940s. The first bottlings labeled Sallier de La Tour take place in the 2000s. In 2008, thanks to a project of integration and enhancement of the most suitable Sicilian wine territories, the Sallier de La Tour Estate became part of the Regaleali, Capofaro, Tascante and Whitaker Estates, reinforcing the production ecosystem of the historic Tasca d'Almerita brand.
The soil is fertile, mostly made up of clay, with a presence of limestone, sand and silt. The morphology of the estate is gently undulating, with large flat areas full of fresh soils, combined with alluvial deposits.
The Wine
Along with the cultivation of Sallier’s indigenous grapes (Nero d’Avola, Grillo and Inzolia), Syrah grapes grow on the fresh hill of La Monaca.
Syrah is a variety of grape that only recently found a home in this area of Sicily, and has become an icon of the Monreale DOC. The soil, well drained and rich in limestone, clay and sand, is ideal for red wines. However, Syrah was only introduced on an experimental basis in 1984 and 1985. At Sallier de La Tour, Tasca d'Almerita decided to bet on Syrah. They are increasingly convinced that some of these so-called “international” varieties are capable of translating the language of a given territory in the best possible way. The Syrah grapes cultivated in DOC Monreale are laboriously building their own identity.
The extra vergin olive oil
Like wine, the production of olive oil is an opportunity to illustrate the essence of Sicily and the uniqueness of Tascante estate. Oil and wine have played leading roles in Sicily since the Greeks and have been integral to the stories and territories of the island. The olive trees - symbols of light, nourishment, and health - were planted by the ancient farmers even before the vines.
Tasca d'Almerita began studying the typical varieties in the areas with the aim of describing their characteristics and qualities.
The area in the northwest of Sicily is well-suited for viticulture and olive growing, which are important for the estate and the entire area. The 500 olive trees present today are exclusively native varieties.