Passopisciaro
About Passopisciaro
Andrea Franchetti does not like to take the easy route when it comes to winemaking. Founding the Tuscan estate Tenuta di Trinoro from essentially nothing, the incredibly diligent and ambitious winemaker planted entirely new vineyards and built terraces amongst the rolling hills. Following a similar pattern of monumental hard work, Franchetti put as much effort into his remarkable estate high on the slopes of Mount Etna.
A project of total resurrection as opposed to starting from scratch, Tenuta di Passopisciaro resides in the ominous, and frankly precarious, shadow of the mighty Mount Etna volcano – and yet, it is this very situation which makes its wines all the more astounding. At the very top of the property, there is a large hump of black gravel where a lava spill courtesy of a large eruption in 1947 stopped flowing, just before engulfing the vines, terraces and winery. This is winemaking on the edge!
Passopisciaro's volcanic soils add a minerality which, combined with the high-altitude, imparts a distinctive personality and complexity to its wines. Franchetti's 2018 releases available today are a “revelation” in the words of Eric Guido (Vinous) and are without a doubt some of the best wines from Sicily. Monica Larner (Wine Advocate) believes that “no other vintner, not even his frenemy Marco De Grazia, can boast such a collection of wines”.
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(6x75cl) 2016$367.00 -
$357.00
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(6x75cl) 2016Vinous (94)
Deep red. Very spicy, sweet red fruit and minerals on the captivating nose and the luscious mouth. Multilayered and complex, boasting a brooding youthful quality but also a polished texture. Finishes long, rich and sweet with enticing minerality and youthfully chewy tannins. A lovely wine that surprises me this year; I normally prefer Franchetti’s Contrada G or Contrada R.$367.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2021 Contrada Sciaranuova (S) is a well-muscled dancer who enters the stage coy and withdraws, forcing the taster to work for its youthfully backward bouquet. Suggestions of dried roses, licorice, wild strawberries and clove are enshrouded by sweet smoke. It flows across the palate with a wave of pure silk, seamless and refined with pretty red berry fruit underscored by minerals and a steadily building tannic tension that hints at the power within. This coats the palate with a staining of primary concentration that lingers long as violet inner florals and tart blackberry fade.$332.00 -
(1x75cl) 2008$136.00 -
(6x75cl) 2009Vinous (96)
The 2009 Franchetti is another stunning wine. The blend is Cesanese d'Affile (80%) and Petit Verdot (20%) that are the result of massal selections from Lazio and Franchetti's own Tenuta di Trinoro respectively. It is a fabulously ripe, exotic wine that envelops the palate with layers of dark fruit. Refined tannins support the fruit, while intense inner perfume adds sweetness and elegance, especially on the layered finish.$512.00 -
(1x75cl) 2010
Wine Advocate (95+)
Violets, tar, asphalt, black cherries and plums all come alive in the 2010 Franchetti. Wonderfully alive and vibrant in the glass, the 2010 shows an unusual level of ripeness and juiciness for the year. Ideally, the 2010 needs a few years to shed some of its baby fat, as it is almost too intense today. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine’s detail, nuance and transparency. This blend of Cesanese and Petit Verdot should be a stunner in another few years’ time. The flagship Franchetti remains one of the most distinctive wines of the Etna, although in spirit and interpretation it is quite far from every other wine I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025.$113.00 -
Wine Advocate (95+)
Violets, tar, asphalt, black cherries and plums all come alive in the 2010 Franchetti. Wonderfully alive and vibrant in the glass, the 2010 shows an unusual level of ripeness and juiciness for the year. Ideally, the 2010 needs a few years to shed some of its baby fat, as it is almost too intense today. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine’s detail, nuance and transparency. This blend of Cesanese and Petit Verdot should be a stunner in another few years’ time. The flagship Franchetti remains one of the most distinctive wines of the Etna, although in spirit and interpretation it is quite far from every other wine I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025.$483.00 -
(6x75cl) 2013Vinous (92)
(15.5% alcohol): Inky ruby. Superripe aromas and flavors of black cherry syrup, red cherry jam, chocolate and minerals. Spicy, peppery tannins and bright acidity provide plenty of backbone to this opulent, ultra-suave wine, which tastes like it was made with air-dried grapes. Extremely long on the finish, closing with a strong note of sweet pipe tobacco and a hint of volcanic ash. In fact, the smoky note was so evident that I couldn’t help thinking that this is what it must be like to drink a cigar.$718.00 -
(6x75cl) 2015$587.00 -
Vinous (98+)
Fully saturated, impenetrable inky-ruby color. Smells very concentrated but offers pristine herbal and mineral nuances to the ripe red and black fruit aromas and flavors. Much more refined in the mouth than the powerful nose indicates, with lively acidity nicely extending flavors similar to the aromas on the long rich and very dense finish. A marvelous wine that is both rich and concentrated and yet light on its feet. Finishes with an enticing, spicy juicy note. This blend of 60% Petit Verdot and 40% Cesanese d’Affile is an absolutely superb wine; well done. I’m curious to see how this develops over the next few years and if it will one day merit a perfect score or not.$647.00 -
(6x75cl) 2017$587.00 -
(1x75cl) 2019
Vinous (96+)
The 2019 Franchetti is like a dark stallion, muscled and sleek. It opens slowly in the glass, inward yet viral, with dusty dried flowers giving way to nuances of plum, brown spice, cardamom, savory herbs and hints of cocoa. The textures here are like crushed velvet, prominent, almost weighty, yet with a balance of brisk acidity and tart fruits that add contrast. The 2019 leaves a subtle staining of harmonious tannins, along with dark inner florals and hints of black currant that linger incredibly long. The vines for the Franchetti were planted in 2000 within the Guardiola cru. In 2019, the blend is Petit Verdot-dominated, with only 3% Cesanese d'affile.$113.00 -
(6x75cl) 2022Wine Advocate (94)
This wine always stands apart in a tasting of Etna reds. Made with a blend of 70% Petit Verdot and 30% Cesanese d'Affile (a grape found mostly in the Lazio region of central Italy), this wine has been the focus of some controversy in the past because no indigenous grapes are used, but it has come into its own in recent years. With a production history that spans two decades, it is also one of the first red wines from the Sicilian volcano to emerge with international interest. The Passopisciaro 2022 Franchetti (with just 3,800 bottles made) reveals a blackish color and thick concentration with aromas of blackcurrant, spice and tobacco. There is ample meat on these bones in terms of succulence, fruit weight and a 15% alcohol content, but the wine does gracefully hold back from feeling too over-extracted or heavy. It shows velvety tannins. It ferments in stainless steel and starts off in barrique for six months, followed by 12 months of aging in large oak casks. These are 21-year-old vines planted by the late Andrea Franchetti in double guyot at 820 to 850 meters above sea level.$619.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021$466.00 -
$187.00 -
Vinous (91)
The 2018 Contrada Passochianche (PC) opens up slowly, both rich and fresh, offering notes of crushed hazelnuts, smoke, hints of custard and raw honey evolving into ripe yellow apple and sweet nuanced florals. This is silky and pliant, balanced by brisk acids and tart stone fruits, while salty minerals and hints of almond add further savory depths. Its concentration and persistence are admirable, as the Passochianche seems to slowly melt away from the palate, leaving a sense of structure along with hints of candied citrus. This is the first rendition of the PC, a single-vineyard Chardonnay that is fermented in neutral 20-hectoliter barrels and then spends six months refining on the lees.$261.00 -
Vinous (90)
Wet fall leaves, tobacco and crushed black cherries form a pleasantly mature bouquet as the 2015 Passorosso comes to life in the glass. Lifted and graceful in style, it presents a slightly fleeting mix of wild berries and sweet herbs. This leaves a mineral saturation and hints of blood orange, tapering off with medium length. This is a lovely evolution of Passopisciaro's entry-level Rosso.$133.00 -
$127.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021$212.00 -
(6x75cl) 2019Vinous (93)
A dusty and inviting mix of dried roses and cherries is contrasted by hints of ash and smoke as the 2019 Contrada Porcaria (P) blossoms in the glass. This is undeniably elegant in feel, with velvety textures that coast across its medium-bodied frame, delivering mineral-tinged red berries and sweet herbal tones that arch across the palate. It’s lightly structured with grippy tannins that tug at the cheeks, yet the mouth is left watering for more, as hints of pomegranate and plum slowly fade. The Porcaria vineyard stands at 650 meters, with soils that are described by Passopisciaro as, “A frail sheet of lava that splinters under one’s feet.” Give this beauty another year of cellaring to come fully into focus.$375.00 -
(6x75cl) 2018$374.00 -
(6x75cl) 2014$332.00
