Passopisciaro

ABOUT THE VINTAGE

Contrada Sciaranuova lies at 850 m / 2,788 ft asl. Sciaranuova means «new flow» in Sicilian and it refers to the recent geological age of this soil which was formed just 400 years old. The soil is made of lava gravel and the vines are 80 years of age. Sciaranuova is a Contrada that, year after year, stands out for its well-defined character, shaped by great balance and finesse

THE 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. Contrada Sciaranuova is adapting very well to the erratic weather pattern of the last vintages. In this Contrada we decided to harvest on October 15th. The yields were very low, but the quality outstanding.