Chardonnay planted between 850 and 1,000 meters on Etna's volcanic slopes. Contrada Guardiola, where Andrea Franchetti came in 2000 to resurrect terraces the world had forgotten. Steel fermentation, then ten months split between cement and large oak, which keeps the frame tight and lets the volcanic minerality do the talking rather than burying it in barrel. This is Chardonnay as altitude and stone, not butter and toast.
Winemaker Notes
Practicing Biodynamic 100% Chardonnay in Contrada Guardiola Elevation: 850 – 1000 meters Soils: volcanic Fermentation in steel vats for 20 days at cool temperatures Maturation for 10 months in both cement vats and large oak barrels Average production 1850 cases per year
Professional Ratings
94
James Suckling
93
Wine AdvocateMade with 100% Chardonnay, the Passopisciaro 2022 Passobianco (with 46,000 bottles produced) starts off in stainless steel but then sees 10 months in a combination of oak and concrete. The vines are 21-years-old planted in a double guyot with high-density spacing (measuring 12,300 vines per hectare). This site sits at a chilly elevation of 850 to 1,000 meters above sea level. This very pretty wine
91
Vinous
About the Producer
After a decade of experience making wine at Tenuta di Trinoro, in 2000 Andrea Franchetti dedicated himself to a new project on the northern slopes of Mount Etna near the town of Passopisciaro in the district of Castiglione di Sicilia. Franchetti lovingly restored the long-forgotten terraces adorned with age-old vines. At about 1,000 meters above sea level, he meticulously replanted at a density of 12,000 vines per hectare in the mineral-rich volcanic soil.
The vineyards paint an idyllic scene basking in sunlight, yet a constant plume of smoke and the occasional ash-filled eruptions serve as a…
