Who we are Hi, I'm Stefano Ientile and since 2011, after studying architecture and many other passions, I dedicate myself body and soul to the custody and care of the family fund. The BIO La Chiusa farm is located in the La Chiusa-Beviero district in Montevago (Ag), in South-Western Sicily at 400 meters above sea level. and 20 km from the coast, on a limestone plateau constantly caressed by the Libeccio and the Mistral. Adjacent to the ruins of the old town (destroyed by the earthquake of 68), the company extends between vineyards and olive groves for almost 10 ha. The grapes enjoy a gentle climate, the saline breezes of the sea, not far away, arrive mild and the land, which has always been generous, gives the fruits minerality and unique aromas. My family and I have bet on quality, craftsmanship and respect for the territory and the environment. I grow and make wine, without the use of chemicals, Catarratto, Grillo, Syrah, Nerello Mascalese and Perricone, following the essence of the fruit and enhancing its natural inclinations. In this place full of history, I returned to make wine and relearn from wine. Terroir and biodiversity The company is divided into two agronomically distinct parts, and a "lavinaro" (natural impluvium) marks the border between these. The southern part is mainly composed of calcarenitic, medium-clayey and at times almost sandy "red soils". The latter mainly host native white berried grapes (Catarratto and Grillo), which, thanks also to adequate exposure and constant ventilation, ripen with a sustained acidity, thus distinguishing themselves from the expressions already known on the island such as those at sea level. For this peculiarity we strongly wanted to claim the denomination of origin Santa Margherita di Belice on our labels. The northern part, with a prevalence of medium-textured clayey soil, welcomes the Syrah grapes and for some years the new plants of Perricone and Nerello Mascalese. From the small Syrah particle we get our current four variations. Four different ways of understanding this noble and ancient vine, four different vinifications that follow the natural unevenness of the vine. La Chiusa enjoys an innate biodiversity brought about by the presence of countless spontaneous and non-spontaneous species. Like thousands of years ago, the vine marries the olive tree and fruit trees, such as citrus, almond and carob trees alternate on a green mantle of endemic herbs that follow one another from season to season. This ecosystem gives the land, the vineyards and the grapes a natural source of nourishment and organic substance and together with the characteristics of the soils, the fruit retains a strong aromatic memory and intense varietal expression, in favor of a well-defined territorial identity. Organic company The condition of grace from which Sicily and in particular our territory benefits allows me to govern, nourish and keep the lands easily organically; the use of herbicides, fungicides and synthetic products are excluded from my agronomic practices. I add organic matter to the soils with manure alternating with legumes, I practice spontaneous grassing and green manure, with shallow plowing, always as late as possible before the strong summer heat and then ... hoe! I carry out careful suckering and occasional thinning, in order to achieve low yields with further selection of the best grapes during the harvest. Therefore I accompany the vineyard and the other crops, reading and interpreting the dynamics and unexpected events that the vintage presents. The vineyards are all dry, relying on fresh and well-drained soils, the new plants, even in scorching heat, have already confirmed this attitude. The vintages also suggest the increasingly limited use of sulfur and copper, the latter being less and less used recently; being in a hilly and ventilated area, the greatest concerns are given at the beginning of summer by annoying attacks of powdery mildew. Lately, I have been dealing with biodynamic preparations and homeopathic and mycorrhizal products.