Passopisciaro Contrada C Chiappemacine Terre Siciliane IGT, Sicily, Italy 2022

Passopisciaro produces six different bottlings of nerello mascalese, the native grape to Mt. Etna, in order to showcase the profound differences in the terroir – lava flow, aspect, and altitude – of the various Contrade that we work with. The vines are all between 70-100 years old, and the nerello harvest typically occurs at the end of October/early November. The wines undergo fermentation in steel vats, followed by malolactic and 18 months aging in large neutral oak barrels; this minimal intervention approach to winemaking allows the differences in terroir to shine. We started bottling the contrada wines separately in 2008, with a label change in 2009.

Contrada Chiappemacine is a small domain at 550 m (1,800 ft) above sea level, our lowest site for a single vineyard cru. The site produces a more full-bodied, rounder style because it lies on the last outreach of Mount Etna’s lava; beneath the thinner strata of lava lies a limestone bed to which the vines penetrate. We own 1.2 hectares of vines in this contrada.

"The Contrada ChiappaManiche has 90-year-old vines and is located midway up the volcanic cone at 550 meters in elevation. The Passopisciaro 2022 Contrada C shows a very specific character with a pronounced mineral note that cedes to blue and black fruits and fresh blooming violet. These two sides of the wine play against each other to add pretty contrasts and intensity. This elegant wine spends 18 months in oak." Wine Advocate 94+