Occhipinti Vino di Contrada Grillo Bianco 2021 (750ml)
Product price
$79.99
Description
Grillo doesn't always get treated with this kind of seriousness. Grown in Sicily's warmer corners, it usually reads as an easygoing white, but here Arianna Occhipinti works it as a single-contrada bottling from the Santa Margherita vineyard at 500 meters above sea level in Chiaramonte Gulfi, north of Vittoria. The 2021 comes off vines set into white clay and calcareous marl, given a two-day skin maceration and a spontaneous fermentation split between concrete and oval Austrian oak. It is one of the earliest vintages of this particular wine.
The color leans toward deep gold, and the nose has a lightly macerated, skin-contact quality: dried peach and apricot, honey, sweet herbs, a dusting of ground ginger, with jasmine and peach blossom lifting above it. There's real substance on the palate but the acidity stays zesty and the minerals feel saline and stony, carrying through yellow apple, a creamy mid-weight texture, and savory spice. It finishes long and dry, more vertical than plush, with a faint bitter edge that keeps pulling you back to the glass. Structured enough to reward some patience.
Expert Reviews
The 2021 Contrade SM is a varietal Grillo with a deep golden-yellow color. The bouquet evokes musky dried peaches, apricots, sweet herbs and ground ginger. It’s soft-textured, with zesty acidity and saline minerals up front that give way to vivid yellow apples and savory spice. This finishes long, dry and lightly structured, yet harmonious, displaying all the components necessary for a steady evolution, as a bitter tinge keeps the mouth watering for more. This is a fascinating Grillo that exceeds expectations. Two thousand and twenty-one is only the second vintage of Contrade SM, which hails from a vineyard planted in 2016 at 500 meters in soils of sandy calcareous marl. (Vinous, September 2023)
The Arianna Occhipinti 2021 Sicilia Grillo Vino di Contrada Bianco SM opens to an off-gold color and macerated aromas of grape skins and honey. The wine has a very fragrant side, like what you might expect of a young Grillo, with white rose, jasmine and peach blossom. There is a lot of substance here, with plenty of freshness, crushed stone and a creamy texture. There is a hint of dried apple skin as well. (Wine Advocate, June 2023)
This 100% Grillo is from vines grown in white clay and limestone soils in the Santa Margherita vineyard, situated at 500m above sea level in Chiaramonte Gulfi, to the north of Vittoria. The grapes undergo a 48-hour maceration and ferment spontaneously, half in concrete and half in oval Austrian oak barrels. The result is a Grillo that's really vertical and focused, almost austere, with some savoury, juicy stone fruits lurking among straw, hay, floral and lanolin notes. A classy interpretation of this grape. (Decanter, April 2023)