Passopisciaro

ABOUT THE VINTAGE

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 /2,600 and 3,300 feet above sea level in Contrada Guardiola, in very loose,  deep, powder like lava that is rich in minerals. We began making this wine in 2007, and it is formerly known as Guardiola bianco.

As soon as the 2021 harvest was over at the end of October, we witnessed a torrential rain that caused a flood, especially in the Randazzo area. Between the end of November and the end of December we saw more rain in all our vineyards, cold temperatures and snow at altitudes of 1.200/1.500 meters a.s.l. A great start to winter that created good water reserves in the soil.
2022 started off with rather cold temperatures. Budbreak was regular, and the spring rains further replenished our water reserves. This fact, combined with the very warm temperatures in early summer, contributed to a rapid development of the canopy.
The summer was characterized by some thunderstorms in August. On the 5th, a hailstorm hit the vineyards around Passopisciaro, causing some loss of grapes in certain plots, but not all misfortunes come to harm! In fact, the short but intense rainfalls brought with them cooler temperatures and higher day-night temperature swings, helping to optimize the ripening and aromatic charge of our Chardonnay.
Picking occurred between August 19th and September 5th, rigorously by hand.
From the first tastings of the grapes in the vineyards, we were given a glimpse of the potential of the vintage. From there the guidelines for winemaking were straightforward to respect the character and balance of our Chardonnay: Thirty percent of the grapes were cold-macerated to enhance the aromatic profile. The rest of the grapes were pressed as whole clusters to preserve their freshness and minerality.
Alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel vats at 22-24 °C. Malolactic fermentation took place in concrete tanks at controlled temperatures, allowing us to complete this phase quickly, obtaining clean and stable wines as soon as possible. The ageing of the wines occurred partially in concrete tanks and partially in large oak barrels, on the fine lees. No batonnage was performed in order to enhance the feeling of freshness that always characterizes our Passobianco.
Bottling took place during the waning moon of July 2023.
The 2022 Passobianco is a very balanced wine, easy to enjoy. Acidity, aromatics and body naturally come together in the glass, along with those mineral sensations that are the signature of the Etna territory: One sip is never enough!