$67.99
– Sold Out| /
Region: Etna, Italy
Grape: Nerello Mascalese
First Glance: Pure-fruited, high toned, herbal, drying tannins
Acclaim: 93+ points
One of Europe's largest and most active volcanos, Mt Etna stands 3000 metres tall in the north-eastern corner of Sicily, in the heart of the Mediterranean sea. While viticulture on this unique site goes back thousands of years, it would lay dormant in the minds of the international wine community until a new generation came in, and revitalised excitement for this most unique place. One such evocative winemaker was Andrea Franchetti, the man behind Passopisciaro (and famed Tenuta Trinoro in Tuscany). Andrea came to Etna in 2000, and found incredible potential in plots (contradas) of 70 - 100 year old bush vines of Nerello Mascalese, planted at altitudes of 500 - 1000 metres altitude, on the Northern side of the volcano. Along with a small group of modern pioneers, this work has truly caught the imagination of the world, and has boosted Etna wines to true cult status in recent years.
The Passorosso is the flagship cuvee of the estate, in which Andrea and his team blends old bush-vine Nerello Mascalese from different contradas, to make what is in no way a generic Etna Rosso. This should be thought of as a traditional Barolo-approach, before the rise of single vineyards. Here, fruit from different sites of unique altitude and soil structure, are blended to attain an equilibrium of aromatic complexity and texture. The winemaking is unintrusive, with the wines only seeing large-format neutral oak, and no filtration before bottling.
The review:
93+ points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Poached strawberry, honey, dried herbs and fresh mint. It’s medium-bodied, stony and fleshy, ripe red berries with a little spice, fine talc-like tannin grip, savoury too, with dusty tannin and a dash of aniseed on a subtly perfumed finish of good length. Not especially concentrated, but a lovely example of Etna rosso here.
