Franchetti 2021
ABOUT THE VINTAGE
Franchetti is a unique blend of Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile; it is grown in contrada Guardiola at 820 meters above sea level. The winemaker’s interpretation of a full bodied wine on Etna. The result is a wine of great concentration, as black as lava and volcanic smoke that flow from Etna.
2021 vintage on the northern side of Mount Etna can be defined as “bizarre”.
Between November and December 2020 we had some rains, even copious in some moments, which brought a discreet water reserve to the plants, especially in the vineyards facing east. This was great for the new vineyard in Contrada Montedolce planted during 2020 Spring.
Starting into the new year, there was a thermic swing between early January and mid-February with rains and even some snow that barely reached the highest vineyards (800/1000 m.) and then an odd heat until the end of February and the beginning of March.
Spring surprises us with low temperatures until the end of May, making me “dream” of the seasonal regularity of past years.
But it’s only a dream!
Suddenly, with the arrival of June, Summer arrives.
The vines, that were a bit late, explode now filling the valley and its splendid terraces with emerald green, going with rhythm towards flowering and fruit set. What a joy!!
Heat, heat and more heat lead us to manage the foliage like haute couture and to support the plants with generous irrigation at night. We don’t need to water the old and centuries-old Nerello Mascalese vines that are able to draw lifeblood from their complex and deep root system.
Fiery sunrises and sunsets follow one another, catching the winegrower’s attention! Suddenly, the Chardonnay grapes were ready to be harvested after August 15th, we promptly started bringing to the cellar perfect and fragrant grapes, these grapes will produce a more intense and fragrant wine.
We were waiting for the temperature drop and the moderate rains at the beginning of September and they finally arrived, allowing us to start red grapes harvest just before mid-October. Days of blue skies, cool and crystalline nights help us to carry out the several harvests of the red grape varieties with our usual style, thus creating red wines of perfect ripeness and good balance.
REVIEWS
James Button, Decanter, 97 points: Franchetti is something completely different on Etna. First released in the 2005 vintage, Andrea Franchetti (master of doing things his own way) aimed to express the terroir of Contrada Guardiola (at 820m) in a full-bodied wine. Vinified in steel vats, the blend of Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile – a nearly extinct variety he rescued from Lazio – is then matured in French oak barrels for six months followed by a further 12 months in cement vats. Stunning aromatics – perfumed, super-floral scents of violets, lavender, summer meadow flowers and macerated red fruits, with some curranty notes in the background. Concentrated and tannic, with a silky mouthfeel amongst the grainy tannins, and red-fruited acidity, this is a sculpted wine which shows the sapidity developed from these soils. Flavours reminiscent of blueberry jam are backed by liquorice, sweet milk chocolate and dried herbs. This packs a punch, but remains super-fresh in teh mouth. Wow! At around £80 a bottle, it’s surprisingly good “value” given teh quality on offer. 4.000 bottles produced.
Jamessuckling.com – James Suckling, 94points: A crazy blend of cesanese and petit verdot (70%) with very spicy Region Sicily 94 aromas of crushed cloves and black pepper with some Chinese spices. Full-bodied, with fine tannins that run through the wine. Lots of fruit but still fluid and balanced. Juicy wine. Drink or hold.
Eric Guido, Vinous, 96 points: In 2021, the Franchetti is a gorgeous blending of 70% Petit Verdot and 30% Cesanese d’Affile, opening with a seductive cascade of violets, lavender, sage, chalk dust and sweet smoke. This is elegant and deeply textural, like weighted velvet and creamy in feel, energized by vibrant acidity that creates a sensation of contrasts that must be experienced to be believed. Ripe wild berries, blackberries and licorice envelope the palate. A web of sweet tannins gently settles on the palate as the 2021 leaves a resonance of black tea leaves and spice, tapering off dry and hauntingly dark. This may not have the energy of the 2020, but it impresses with its textural girth and understated power.
BLEND
70% Petit Verdot
30% Cesanese d’Affile
ALTITUDE
820 m asl (2,700 feet)
