Ensconced by a vast forest of holly oaks (locally known as ilice – hence the name), the climate here is more reminiscent of the country’s north than Sicily. The parcel is predominantly weighted to the native Alicante with a mixture of Grecanico, Minnella and other minor red and white varietals making their way into the wine. All of these vines are over 100 years old and own-rooted. All farming is done by hand and the property’s famed mule, Ciccio. What results is a wine of such purity, drive and energy that it seems to elevate what is in your glass well beyond any pre-fabricated notions of what rosé wine should be, and into the stratosphere of what great wine can be. Something vaguely tropical reaches out from deep within but is deftly kept at bay by a taut, crunchy mouthful that lingers forever.