Shop Arrivals
This month, I have a few gems from Sicily and Piemonte to introduce to you.
We begin in eastern Sicily on the slopes of Mount Etna, a winemaking area on a meteoric rise as of late. It is such a pleasure to look back at some of the people who roamed these volcanic hills before all the hoopla, like Andrea Franchetti of Passopisciaro. Fresh from success at Tenuta Trinoro in Toscana, he set his sights on reclaiming and rebuilding old vineyards called Contrade on the north side of Etna. Today, Passopisciaro stands as one of the Etna's finest producers. The Passopisciaro 2024 Etna Rosso Passorosso is a blend of old vines 85-110 years of age. This is a red of finesse and smooth expression with dark red fruit, crushed minerals and a touch of savory.
Lets take a trip north to a tiny winemaking area called Faro, a stones throw from the straits of Messina. There are only a few producers here, I know of 2, yet the wines speak loudly of place. Faro reds are similar to Etna with a little more ripeness and an unmistakable coastal feel. Bonavita Faro 2022 is a medium bodied red with layers of earth, dark fruit and salinity. Few reds are pair so beautifully with dishes like baked fish or seafood stew like Faro does. There is a luxuriousness to this wine while still retaining its rugged Sicilian personality.
We now turn to the Noto area for a white that was a big hit at my Sicily class last month. Mortellito is a small winery run my Dario Sorrentino in the Noto area of southeastern Sicily. He makes easy-drinking wines of bright character from native grapes. Mortellito 2024 Cala Iancu Bianco is so pleasurable because the nose is deep yet the palate is so dry, crisp and refreshing, yum!
Our next two wines take us north to Piemonte. Timorasso is Italy's most famous white varietal these days, with new plantings popping up all over its birthplace of Tortona. I am loving Ezio Poggio, a winemaker who works high altitude Timorasso vines in the Libarna area. His 2022 Timorasso Caespes is a blending of different vines at 650m and boy does this wine sing!
Lastly, a winemaker who gave me a masterclass in biodiversity during a visit several years ago, Ferdinando Principiano. from his home in the Monforte d'Alba of Barolo, he has created a little mecca of biodiversity full of birds, waterfowl and native plants. His 2024 Dolcetto d'Alba is a polished and vibrant version and why I love this grape. It has a strong attack of blue fruit and chalky tannins yet finishes easy with lingering acidity.
