Winemaker Notes
A deep Nerello Mascalese expression that spotlights the terroir of Contrada Sciaranuova. Meaning "new casting" in Sicilian, Sciaranuova occupies a relatively young lava flow, just 200 years old. Passopisciaro's vineyard here produces a full-bodied, expressive wine that has dense and well-integrated tannins, plus facets of freshness and minerality. Light and bright ruby ??red Elegant and deep, of small red fruits, cherries in alcohol, licorice, black pepper and forest spices It tastes structured, full-bodied, expressive, very fresh and mineral, with dense and well integrated tannins.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2022 Etna Rosso Contrada Sciaranuova is youthfully coy, with a dusty blend of dried flowers, earth tones and ash wafting up from the glass. Silky yet lifted and finessed, it sweeps across the palate with medium-weight textures and bright red berry fruits. Its minerality comes through on the finish, enhanced by a bump of brilliant acidity as it tapers off long, staining and with crunchy tannins that resonate on. Utterly classic. While backward today, the Sciaranuova is harmonious and shows incredible potential. Tasted from barrel.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
James Suckling
A complex nose of almost vermouth-like aromas, dried cherries, cinnamon, oak bark, rich black cherries and hints of smoke. Firm tannin and acidity with a full body, a tight-knit finish and restrained toastiness in the aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best from 2028.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Passopisciaro 2022 Contrada S shows bright energy with a spot of fresh cherry that rises above the volcanic notes of ash and crushed stone that normally defines Nerello Mascalese. This wine draws its fruit from 90-year-old vines at 850 meters in elevation in the Contrada Sciaranuova. It sits very nicely on the palate with good primary intensity and elegantly chalky tannins.
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.