"PT" Pettineo Vino di Contrada IGT Sicilia 2022

A wine with a quiet entrance and great finesse, where fruit and spice sit in harmony. Sour cherry and morello cherry lead, joined by a touch of raspberry and not-quite-ripe blackberry, which brings a slightly tart, green note. Smooth, stony and cool elements define the picture, undergrowth and forest floor add depth, juniper, allspice and pepper stay in the background, while rosemary, thyme and pine set the final note.

The Contrada Pettineo lies at nearly 200 metres above sea level. The soil is red sand over abundant tuff. The layout of the plot is unique: the previous owner aligned the vine rows around an old tree at the centre of the vineyard. Since 2009, Arianna Occhipinti has farmed her 42 hectares across nine contrade around Vittoria biodynamically, without a single drop of irrigation water.

Single-varietal Frappato from 70-year-old vines, harvested in the last week of September 2022. Fermentation takes place with native yeasts in cement tanks; skins and must stay in contact for 20 days, including during fermentation. The wine then ages for 20 months in oval 20-hectolitre cement tanks. 12.0% ABV, dry.

Fine-grained, structured tannin, with acidity building slowly and meticulously. The astringency stays pleasant while remaining demanding. Direct, taut, it stimulates salivation. Lean and austere, it stretches out in length, the tannic structure giving the fruit its edges. Towards the finish, a fine, subtle spiciness emerges, and the ethereal nuances leave behind freshness and vitality.

At 21, Occhipinti bought her first hectare of abandoned vines and has farmed the Vittoria area since 2004. Frappato, documented here since 1812, is her life's work; in Pettineo the sandy soils produce silky tannins.