2010 Passopisciaro Passopisciaro Sicilia IGT- Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT (5/23/2014)
A little over a year later and this wine is even more intriguing by a fair margin. Tonight, after open for a couple hours, it also had that amazing autumnal Burg nose we all crave so badly. Again drinking like a $100+ Chambolle from Mugnier. Lacy elegance, spice and red fruit in spades. Very pretty! Grabbed 3 more today. Would be a great value at $50, I paid $32. (93 pts.)
2010 Passopisciaro Passopisciaro Sicilia IGT- Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT (5/7/2013)
PnP. This wine would be fun in a blind tasting trying to decide if its PN or Nebiolo! It certainly shows the perfumed, often weightless elegance of both grapes. Still youthfully primary but I suspect this will evolve with greater nuance still down the road. Bright red fruit, spice and minerality on a Chambolle frame. I like it very much and the btl emptied quickly on the deck with mixed grill. Paid $33, making this a very solid value. Fun to tell the wife we’re drinking wine from the shoulders of Mt Etna. (91 pts.)
I’ve really been enjoying these wines. On a number of restaurant lists here in NYC. Plan on opening a 2011 Passopisciaro Rampante this evening ($49) with burgers. If my guests enjoy too much, might also open a Cornelissan, just to keep them in line. Never thought of it as Chambolle, but it does have some of that lacy quality, also some Cru Beujolais in there - but this ain’t no passetoutgrains.
The producer is Franchetti who does the Trinoro wines in Tuscany. He has several vineyards on Mt. Etna. I agree with others that this is a really interesting expression of Nerello Mascalese. Beautiful wines.
While I haven’t had a lot of bottles of either, I’ve found the Passopisciaro and Calabretta to be rather different. The Passopisciaro is about pure and pretty fruit, with nice minerality, so I can see the Chambolle comparison. The Calabretta’s I’ve had have been more savory, earthy, and sometimes funky. I prefer the Passopisciaro but can see why others may prefer the Calabretta (although I’d never compare the latter to Chambolle).
The wines are great. In many ways like a great fusion of Northern Piedmont and Burgundy. At least some of the best attributes of both, but it is still a different animal. Some of the most intriguing wines I have had in years. And a value too. My visit to Etna was amazing. No easy trick to amaze someone that has been to Italy 17 times.
I’ve never tasted any of the single vineyard wines and the blend side by side. The Rampante was available at a local retailer, the blend was not, so that’s what I have in my cellar. My recollection was that the Rampante, in particular, showed a bit more of that lightness of being, a little less earthy, more of that cherry/pomegrante red fruit. Rampante was my first experience with these wines and you know how it is, like a first kiss, it stays with you.
I agree. The Calabretta will remind you more of an Alto Piemonte wine than a Burgundy. Both are great in different ways, and both offer excellent value.
Another difference is the Calabretta is aged extensively by the producer – I think the 2004 is just hitting the shelves. So you are drinking a much more mature wine, or at least you are until whenever you may succeed in aging the Passopisciaro in your cellar for a decade.
With alcohols that are between 14-15 degrees, Burgundy (whatever village) never seems an apt descriptor for Etna wines: these are big, powerful wines. Yes they have an elegance, acidity, lovely forward fruit, but…Burgundy is not the paradigm nor the comparison. They are ITALIAN wines that speak of the Etna terroir. Every time I taste one of these, Italy comes out. Also persish the thought of calling these ‘cheaper’ Barolo’s - they are not that either and fail to see the connection. I feel people say these things because they are new to them and have no apt comparison to make. So? Don’t. Say they are pure expressions of Sicilian volcanic soil, and then, I would agree with you.
I sort of agree with the post above that Passopisciaro is on the heavier side of Enta Rossos. Not to say that it is heavy, Etna Rossos are still quite elegant when compared to most red wines, but when compared to it’s peers, Passopisciaro reminds me of how Aldo Conterno is to Barolo.
I’ve had limited experience with Etna Rosso and those I’ve tried I’ve for the most part enjoyed. Could you recommend some of the wines on the lighter side. Thank You.
I do not profess to have extensive knowledge on Etna Rossos, just agreeing with the quoted post I pasted on which wines are considered heavy or light. From my limited experience, try
Disclaimer. I import and sell Passopisciaro.
The early Passopisciaro wines that i’ve tasted are distinctly different than the recent 3 or 4 vintages.
Franchetti was over-extracting and over working the Nerello in the early going.
Experience taught him the wiser, and the wines are MUCH more finessed now than in the first several years. I’ve been told that the road will only continue in this direction…
The crus are awesome.
The subtle shifts in the architecture of the wines relative to one another are great showpieces for their terroirs.
The longer that I follow the cru wines, I notice their physical personality reemerging across vintages: low laying Porcaria regularly being the most opulent and layered in flavor and texture, highest elevation Guardiola being the most taut and airy etc.
The entry level is so good that it is a tough argument for the crus to cost twice as much, but…just as in burgundy 1er crus are often 2X that of even a very good villages. If put into burgundy qpr terms, this would be a superstar villages a la Lafarge, Bachelet etc but before they got all pricey.
