Passopisciaro

ABOUT THE VINTAGE

Contrada Chiappemacine is a small parcel located at approx. 550 meters / 1,804 feet asl, the lowest elevation for the Passopisciaro Contrade. This beautiful vineyard lies at the edge of a lava flow and generates a full and round wine, thanks to the limestone soils beneath the lava. The Nerello Mascalese vines here are approximately 90 years of age.

THE 2023 VINTAGE: The winter of 2023 gifted us with a snowfall the likes of which hadn’t been seen for years, covering the vineyards lying above 800 meters with a thick white blanket. The water reserves benefited from the melting of this precious weather event, after the drought-stricken 2022 vintage. However, 2023 was not all rosy. Spring was dry and mild until early May, when heavy rains and low temperatures persisted throughout June, disrupting the regular flowering process. Despite numerous interventions in the vineyards, organic treatments were not enough to stop the attacks of downy mildew, which reduced production across all vineyards, particularly affecting the earlier-ripening varieties. The summer was marked by record heat, with temperatures repeatedly hitting 40°C / 104°F in July. Given the characteristics of the year, the red grapes ripened unevenly, making 2023 a true challenge. The key to quality this year was undoubtedly our manual harvest (which we have always practiced), allowing us to carefully select the best bunches to ensure the best terroir and varietal expression and integrity in our wines. Chiappemacine is a very interesting parcel with old bushtrained vines that adapted well to the hot temperatures of 2023, imparting great structure and depth to the wine. The harvest, done by hand, took place on October 8th.