Size & Type
Other
$70
Straw yellow. Concentrated, deep and alluring white- and citrus-fruit nose with hints of kumquat and papaya. Orange and lemon palate with bitter-almond notes on the finish. Long and a little linear and with plenty of substance. Drink 2021-2026
Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson
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Instead of the indigenous Carricante, which grows on the eastern side of the volcano, Passobianco is made of 100% Chardonnay. When Franchetti arrived on Mt. Etna, he planted 4 hectares of the grape on steep terraces between 850 and 1,000 meters in the contrada of Guardiola, in very loose, deep, powder-like lava that is high in minerals.
Its complexities bring together the specific light, drastic changes in temperature, altitude, and volcanic influences of Etna, and the choice of Chardonnay was meant to allow these influences to meld and evolve over time as the white ages, inspired by the aging potential of the great whites of Burgundy. The harvest is quite fussy, as we pick little portions of the vineyard every day, tasting the berries trailing along the terraces day after day, harvesting only when each individual cluster is ripe. The resulting wine is rich yet fresh, bright yet layered.
The first vintage was in 2007, and beginning with the 2014 vintage, we’ve decided to let the wine pass two years in bottle at the winery before release.
At first glance, planting Chardonnay on Mount Etna might seem like a strange choice. However when you think about it, the region is blessed with unique soil and an exceptional climate. The mineral rich black volcanic lava soil combines with the continental microclimate of the mountain–high diurnal temperature and low rainfall in summer—to give the wine freshness and elegance. Chardonnay stripped back, with the use of large old oak gives you an incredbile snapshot at the amount terrior that this active volcano has created. Both wines are unique and illstructes why many consider Andrea Franchetti as one of the best winemakers in Italy.
Read all about our extensive tastings of Passopisciaro wines in our Wine Bites Mag article “Passopisciaro the Jurasic Park of Wine! Ancient Vines Revived to Create the Liquid Essence of Etna!”
The article includes a look at all the Contrade from both 2012 and 2013.
Explore Etna with our primer “Getting Your Head Around Sicily’s Mount Etna”
Passopisciaro is at once both a fossil and a piece of modern art! Vines aged from 70-120 years old grow on the slopes of a volcano at altitudes that make noses bleed. Less than 20 years ago these wines were unknown, the Grandfathers of today’s revolutionists made simple wine from overcropped vineyards.
Today the next generations are pushing the boundaries making wines from 100% Nerello Mascalese. Often referred to as a hybrid of the great Nebbiolo’s from Barolo and Pinot Noir’s from Burgundy, Nerello Mascalese is capable of making wines with real personality! They’ve taken something incredibly ancient, gone back to the DNA and started again. In under a decade the evolution of these wines have accelerated through a millennia.
Vines have been nurtured back to balance, tended by hand on terraced vineyards that one in every 3 years find themselves under ash clouds hurled into the sky from the very mountain they are planted on, a volcano, Mt Etna!
Straw yellow. Concentrated, deep and alluring white- and citrus-fruit nose with hints of kumquat and papaya. Orange and lemon palate with bitter-almond notes on the finish. Long and a little linear and with plenty of substance. Drink 2021-2026
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Passopisciaro Winery, Via Guardiola, Castiglione di Sicilia, Province of Catania, Italy
Cortese | Piedmont, Italy
Chardonnay | France, Burgundy
Riesling | Alsace, France
Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany