Winemaker Notes
Contrada Guardiola is an ancient domain between 800 and 1,000 m/2,600 and 3,300 ft a.s.l., on the edge of the lava flow from the 1947 eruption. It produces a deep and complex wine with a rich taste of red fruit, oranges, and marzipan. Passopisciaro makes this wine from a careful selection of some of their older vines on the lower edge of the Contrada.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Contrada Guardiola (G) is a showstopper; surprisingly floral, with masses of rose and violet tones giving way to blackberries and a dusting of spice. This flows across the palate with ease, silky at first with a salty core and tart red berries that drench the senses; yet throughout, it remains perfumed and finessed. Spiced citrus and herbal tones linger through the long finale, along with a coating of fine tannins that promise a long and even development. Franky stated, this is one of the prettiest renditions of Guardiola fruit that I’ve ever experienced.
Extending across the variable volcanic soils of the slopes of Mt. Etna at some of the highest vineyard altitudes in all of Europe—up to 3,300 feet—Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most noble red varieties. It makes a beautifully aromatic, firm, cellar-worthy but pale-hued red often comparable to a fine Burgundy or Barbaresco. Somm Secret—Nerello Mascalese takes its name from the black color of its grapes, nerello, and the Mascali plain between Mt. Etna and the coast where it is believed to have originated.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.