Passopisciaro Rosso 2007
The hot summer of ’07 on Mt. Etna terminated in damp weather and overcast skies in October and early November, which is when we usually pick nerello mascalese. The vines were able to use that humidity to jump out of hydric stress and grow slowly into a certain ripeness. We gradually picked from our vineyards on the flank of the volcano, starting with the lowest, at 500 mt and finishing at 1000 mt, at Guardiola. The wine is kind and young and very subtle: Its powers are hidden, and time in bottle will be bringing them out for a long time.
Vineyard age: 70-100 years
Vineyard density: 8,000 vines/Ha
Vineyard altitude: 500-1,100 m asl
Yield per hectare: 40 Hl/Ha
Fertilization: None
Spraying: Propolis, grapefruit seed extract, copper, sulphur
Vinification: Temperature-controlled fermentation in 30 Hl steel vats for 15 days
MLF: French oak 30 and 50 hectoliter barrels
Aging: 18-20 months in 30 and 50 hectoliter neutral oak barrels, at least 3 months in bottle
Bottling: March 2009
Production: 47,000 bottles
REVIEWS
“The just-bottled 2007 Passopisciaro is a weightless yet powerful wine redolent of sweet candied cherries, flowers, herbs and minerals. The wine reveals lovely density and purity, even if a few days of rain towards the end of the growing season in November robbed it of the intensity that informs the very finest vintages. Still, there is gorgeous purity to the fruit that insures this will be fascinating wine to follow over the coming years. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2021.”
— Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, 92 points
“Vintner Andrea Franchetti (a Tuscan interloper on Mt. Etna) has successful managed that difficult balance between power and elegance. This gorgeous wine is pure, direct, focused and sharp with pretty berry and floral notes backed by smoky volcanic impulses. The wine exudes richness and opulence, but not in an exaggerated way.”
— Wine Enthusiast, 93 points
100% Nerello Mascalese
