costanza sallier de la tour

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SALLIER DE LA TOUR

ABOUT THE WINERY

Just outside the bustling epicenter of Palermo in Northwest Sicily lies the Alto Belice - a fascinating landscape and cultural crossroads.   It’s here that the Monte Jato archaeological 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.   It’s also here that the Sallier de La Tour winery and estate has been located for over a century.

The Estate has belonged to the Sallier de La Tour family, Princes of Camporeale, since the mid-nineteenth century. Originally from the Piedmont region of Italy, the family moved to Sicily in the 18 th century.  They built the winery—La Monaca—in 1909, its name inspired by the highest hill found on the property, which is located just behind the Estate. In the 1940s, Paolo Sallier de La Tour increased the family’s interest in viticulture with a particular focus on native varietals Nero d’Avola and Inzolia. In 1956, Paolo Sallier de La Tour married Costanza Tasca d’Almerita, joining the two noble families together.   

While viticulture had been a function of the estate for many years, Filiberto Sallier de La Tour, Paolo’s son, started experimenting with other varietals, most notably Syrah, which had been cultivated in the region for decades.  During this time, Filiberto also began making the first estate wines under the family’s name, releasing the first commercially produced bottles labelled Sallier de La Tour in the early 2000s.  In 2008, Filiberto approached his cousin, Alberto Tasca, with the idea of joining Sallier de la Tour with the renowned Tasca d’Almerita family of wineries.  Having long been impressed with his cousin’s passion and the family’s deep ties to their land, Alberto agreed, and the two families started a new chapter in the estate’s history.  

Today, the Estate is managed by Costanza Chirivino, a member of the Sallier de La Tour family, with the support of the Tasca d’Almerita team.  Costanza's energy and enthusiasm for her family's legacy is infectious, as is her knowledge of and affinity for the region.  In addition to managing the commercial aspects of the Estate, Alberto Tasca also included the Sallier de La Tour in the company’s sustainable initiatives.  This enables and ensures that the entire property is managed according to the tenants of SOStain, a sustainability program that requires third-party certification of the estate’s impact on air, water, soil, and surrounding territory, as well as environmental, economic, and social sustainability.  

Tenuta Sallier de La Tour

A brief history.

Viadotto Pernice Italy, Sicilia 90043

www.tascadalmerita.it/en/estate/sallier-de-la-tour

Meet The Team

Laura was born and raised in Milan, with a PhD cum Laude in Food Preparation Sciences from the University of Milan (1994) and a Masters in Enology from the University of Piacenza (1996). Twenty years ago, she moved her life from the bustling city to work in the Sicilian countryside. She has been Head Enologist at Tasca d’Almerita since June of 2004 and resides at Tenuta Regaleali, the storied home of the Tasca d’Almerita family since 1830 and open-air viticultural laboratory. She oversees winemaking operations for all of Tasca’s five estates, working with a diligent team of agronomists and enologists and collaborating with consulting winemaker, Carlo Ferrini. She accepted the challenge nearly two decades ago to take the wines of Tasca to a new level, working both with native varietals but also constantly experimenting. Years of dedication and patience along with a sincere fondness for teamwork brought Orsi success both on a national and international level. She was even named Winemaker of the Year in 2010 by the Guida del Giornale di Sicilia. When asked to define her ideal wine in three words, Orsi declares: “A wine should be emotional, balanced and above all else express its own unique identity.”

Mario Licari

Tenuta sallier de la tour wines, featured wines.

Syrah's chosen territory

"an agricultural and winemaking challenge in the heart of the monreale doc"..

The Sallier de La Tour project was created in 2008, the year Filiberto Sallier de La Tour, Prince of Camporeale, a man of the countryside and passionate romantic, asked his Tasca d’Almerita cousins to take care of his estate a few kilometers from Palermo.

BEAUTY IS FUTURE, CREATIVITY, HOSPITALITY. IN THE SAME WAY A FOREIGN GRAPE IS WELCOMED TO A NEW LAND, A NEW HOME, IN SICILY. BEAUTY KNOWS HOW TO REINVENT ITSELF. IT IS A SYRAH WITH A THOUSAND REFLECTIONS AND INFINITE NUANCES. BEAUTY IS SALLIER DE LA TOUR AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO CULTIVATE IT.

Doc Monreale

Sicily is a land of surprises and makes you fall in love with its astonishing contradictions, the strong personalities of its people, and the unpredictable character of its countryside. At Tenuta Sallier de La Tour, Tasca d’Almerita has invested in Syrah, a variety studied from all agronomic and productive angles.

The basic idea to employ an “international” grape seems to run counter to the search for native roots. However, our belief holds that certain established grape varieties, such as Syrah in this case, can best translate the “language” of a given territory. The Syrah of Monreale DOC is painstakingly building its own identity. But in wine, there are no shortcuts and only with perseverance, vintage after vintage, will it arrive at the final goal, its ultimate expression.

The work of Tenuta Sallier de La Tour is told today through three different interpretations of this variety; following a project to enhance the territory, along with Syrah, other native varieties such as Grillo, Inzolia, and Nero d’Avola are also cultivated.

We have chosen the SOStain and VIVA sustainability programs because they allow for the preservation of available resources while respecting the delicate balance of ecosystems. Discover the ten ingredients for sustainability.

• 01 Alberello
• 02 Sotto Mandorli
• 03 Tenuta Grande
• 04 Bandiera
• 01 Piano Vivona

Nero d'Avola

• 01 Bandiera
• 02 Cozzo Lago
• 03 Eucalipti
• 01 Cozzo Lago
• 02 Tenuta Grande
• 04 Ex Pereto
• 05 Salita Casa
• 06 Viale delle Palme
• 07 Bandiera

Tenuta Sallier de La Tour

A surprising corner of Sicily waiting to be discovered.

On Tenuta Sallier de La Tour, time is not measured, but spent. The Monreale DOC is a territory blessed with an ideal microclimate for wine and an enchanting landscape for those who want to taste it.

Sallier de La Tour Tasting

The Jato Valley welcomes you, with its up and downs, cultivated land, and rows of vines as far as the eye can see. Situated in the open countryside, Sallier de La Tour is the ideal place to stop and enjoy a glass of wine, perhaps after a tour of the vineyard on the highest hill of the estate overlooking the valley.

One of our flagship wineries, La Monaca winery boasts an Art Nouveau style clearly visible in the cast-iron columns that support its central body.

Here you can taste various territorial expressions of Nero d’Avola, Grillo, Inzolia, and Syrah (the prince of these hills) all with the opulent tones of Mediterranean wines, varying in freshness and elegance dependent on latitude.

Find Your Wine

Chef nicholas says.

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Orders are available for pick-up at Restaurant Nicholas at 160 Route 35 South Red Bank, NJ 07701 during the following times:

Monday: 9:30-3:30; Tuesday – Friday: 9:15am – 9:00pm; Saturday: 11:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday: Closed

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Sallier de La Tour Nero d’Avola 2020

$ 20.00 $ 16.00

Down south in Sicily, two iconic names in winemaking have been joined together by marriage for over three generations. The Sallier de La Tour family have been Princes of Camporeale since the 1800’s, and built their great winery back in 1909 on top of the highest hill on the property.

They have been intertwined with arguably the top winemaking family in Sicily, the Tasca d’Almeritas since 1956 when Paolo Sallier de la Tour married Costanza. Eventually the two families decided that Filiberto Sallier de la Tour, Paolo’s son, would start making estate wines and experiment with different varietals, both native and non-native. In the end, Filiberto came to the conclusion that he suspected all along – nothing would compare to the Nero d’Avola.

Nowadays, the two families work in sync to create really special wines. It’s really a beautiful partnership. The Sallier de la Tour family handle the day to day, and the Tasca family help in the cellar, and with new sustainability initiatives.

Coming off saline-rich soils, it retains incredible natural acidity even in the Southern Italian sun. This has everything you want in a good Sicilian Red. It’s bright and vibrant but with some depth and chewier notes and even some spicier components that come in towards the end.

• Expert Reviews

91 Points, James Suckling A firm and slightly chewy nero d’avola with earth and spice and some mushroom undertones. Medium body, solid tannins and a fresh, savory finish.

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Road Test, S.A.L.T. Experiences: In Palermo, Wine, Pasta and Cannoli with Sallier de La Tour

Debuting on Silver Moon and Silver Dawn, Silversea’s S.A.L.T., which stands for Sea and Land Taste, is an innovative new program celebrating the culinary arts of our destinations. There are four pillars to S.A.L.T. At S.A.L.T. Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to showcasing food and wine from the region in which the ship is traveling, the regional menu offers daily-changing options based on the port of the day. In S.A.L.T. Lab, guests enjoy the challenge of cooking regional dishes. S.A.L.T. Bar celebrates cocktails made with local ingredients. All aim to bring the experience of life onshore onto Silver Moon and Silver Dawn.

The S.A.L.T. Experiences program moves in the opposite direction. This exclusive-to-Silversea series of shore excursions, hand-curated by local experts in the worlds of cuisine and wine, offers personal connections to the places we visit. In this series of stories, we share our experiences as we travel through the Mediterranean. We hope you’ll join us.

It’s 10 a.m. in Palermo, Sicily, and I’m trying to gather my group to head for Terranova, a historic bottega run since 1890 by hard candy masters, where we’re expected in 10 minutes. The problem is my group has no intention of being gathered, as everyone is having a great time exploring the mercato of Ballarò, one of the oldest, liveliest, rowdiest, most colorful and delicious open-air markets of Italy. I spot one of our guests taking a selfie with an arm-long eel, proudly held up by a fishmonger; another is busy sampling thick, oil-dripping anchovies, from a football sized can; yet another one is lost in contemplation of a pyramid of emerald green broccoli Romanesco, each one bigger than his head. A couple is enveloped by the smoke of a barbecue station, where a handsome butcher is grilling stigghiole . “What are they?” asks the guest. “Baby lamb’s intestines, wrapped around a whisp of spring onion, a typical Sicilian street food,” replies Costanza Chirivino.

Costanza is our host for the day. The heir and manager of the Sallier de la Tour wine estate, lodged in the green Monreale valley, 40’ outside of Palermo — our destination after the market — looks upon the scene with an indulgent smile. She knows too well how fun Ballarò can be. Her wicker basket is already full of groceries – sweet friggitelli peppers, enormous cucuzza zucchini, a sesame-crusted loaf of golden bread, a few bags of fresh spices, a wedge of cheese. She’s asked our guests to pick what they want to fry, later, for our pre-lunch aperitivo, so there’s also a bunch of sage, with leaves as big as the palm of my hand. I rub them and inhale their balsamic scent. The air is filled with the voices of the vendors, and a few feet away a lady lowers a basket from a second-floor balcony, “ordering” a few groceries from one of the stalls below. Ah, Ballarò.

Finally, our group assembles. The owner of bottega Terranova is eager to show us his tiny lab, where everything is still made the ancient way by a few highly skilled masters; we see a stack of antique cylinders that look like engraved brass scrolls. They’re used as stamps for sugar slabs, spread while still warm on marble countertops, like the ones for the signature caramella di carrube , Terranova’s best seller, made with pure carob infusion. The air is thick with the scent of caramel and anise, as that’s the flavor that’s being produced today. We grab a few bags for the road, and off we go. As we leave Palermo behind, heading for the hills surrounding the city, painted green and gold by wheat, olive trees and legumes, Costanza tells us a story. “I drive back and forth between Palermo and the estate, where I live, a few times a week. It’s never boring especially when I’m leaving the sea behind to go over the low pass near Giacalone and the valley opens up in front of me. It feels like entering a new dimension.”

The Sallier de La Tour, princes of Camporeale, were among the first in the mid 19 th century to plant vineyards in the Monreale territory, which has since been awarded the prestigious DOC (“designation of controlled origin”) and is known as the Sicilian cradle of Syrah. But the Sallier de La Tour project was really born in 2008, when prince Filiberto Sallier de La Tour entrusted his cousins, worldwide-famous winemakers Tasca d’Almerita, to care for his land as part of the family’s prestigious portfolio of estates (which also includes Regaleali, in the heart of Sicily, Tascante, on Etna, Capofaro, on the island of Salina, and Fondazione Whitaker, on the island of Mozia). Costanza, who is the heir of the Sallier de La Tour family, manages the estate and brings her fresh perspective to the project. She also happens to be a phenomenal host, fun and engaging, her enthusiasm contagious.

As the estate is reserved for us only, we immediately feel at home. We start with a tasting of extra virgin olive oils produced in the five Tasca estates, drizzled on thick chunks of bread and accompanied by a perfectly chilled Madamarosè, a 100 percent Syrah rosé, which is Costanza’s first original production in her managing role. The rosé is Costanza in a bottle: buonissimo , fresh, irreverent and aristocratic. With palm trees and vineyards as a backdrop, we listen as she tells us stories of her noble family and the three different Syrah produced by the over one century-old estate, as well as the other wines made from autochthone grapes Grillo, Inzolia and Nero d’Avola. Then we make our way towards the long table set up in the garden, under blooming acacia trees, while some of us get to frying, under the watchful eyes of Costanza and her young team.

We eat panelle (fried chickpea fritters), fried sage leaves and friggitelli . Some of Costanza’s girls have picked fresh acacia flowers and we fry those too, in a thick batter. There’s a “build your own pizzella ” station, with a selection of toppings for our fried dough balls – I am partial to the buffalo mozzarella/anchovy/lemon zest combo. All the while, Costanza peels, dices, sautés, pours and entertains, skillfully explaining the island’s peculiar terroirs, its grapes and the sustainable philosophy permeating all of the family’s business, leading up to the launch of Tasca d’Almerita’s SOStain protocol, which is now the gold standard for the island’s premiere viticulture. Soon we’re joined by Nina and Alberto Agosta, owners of Pastificio Feudo Mondello: on a farm not far from Sallier they make exquisite artisanal pasta that has already gained the attention of none other than chef Alain Ducasse. We taste a plate of velvety, porous spaghetti, and some fusilli too, dressed lightly so as to let the full flavor of Sicilian wheat come through.

Nina, Alberto and their son only use local varieties of Durum wheat, including some heirloom: they’re all stone-milled (a rare feat in the world of pasta making, because it makes production more difficult), resulting in a pasta that is as fulfilling as filet, hearty, with a full bodied, layered flavor. After the pasta we taste traditional dishes from the Sallier de la Tour family cookbook, and Costanza pours more wines, not just from Sallier but also from all of Tasca’s domains. After a short break, enough to visit the cellar and to walk some of our lunch off, our host sets up a table with freshly brewed coffee, a mound of gigantic cannoli shells and bowls full of whipped ricotta. Asking for volunteers, she demonstrates how to assemble the typical Sicilian dessert. Except these are not your typical cannoli: they’re made by the pastry masters of nearby Piana degli Albanesi, with sheep’s milk ricotta and a secret recipe for the casing, which is remarkably thick and crumbly.

A guest says “wow, I feel like I’ve been coming here forever.” I look around: one of the gentlemen from our group is asleep under a tree, a glass of wine in his hand, and Costanza’s two dogs by his side. Once again, my group has no intention of being gathered: no one wants to leave. And why should we? 

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