Passopisciaro Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliane IGT Contrada C 2022 (750ml) *
Product price
$109.99
Description
Grown on the volcanic slopes of Etna in northeastern Sicily, this is Nerello Mascalese from a single site, contrada Chiappemacine, that Passopisciaro bottles under the shorthand Contrada C. The vines sit around 550 meters up the cone, some of them roughly ninety years old, on a mix of volcanic soils at the higher reaches and limestone lower down. The 2022 spends eighteen months in oak, which gives this mountain red its frame without covering its lift.
Perfume comes first here, rosy and floral with fresh violet, a lick of exotic spice, and that saline, mineral edge Etna wines carry. Underneath there's a fleshy core of ripe cherry and strawberry, threaded with crunchy wild berry and a flick of wild mint. The tannins are fine and rounded, the acidity crisp, and the two sides, the stony minerality and the fruit, play off each other for real contrast and energy. It finishes long, structured, and savory, generous but never heavy, an understated wine with plenty in reserve.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Varietal | Nerello Mascalese |
| Producer | Passopisciaro |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Subtype | Still |
Expert Reviews
The 2022 Etna Rosso Contrada Chiappemacine, tasted from barrel, is rosy and perfumed with hints of exotic spice, giving way to notes of dried strawberry. This is supple and round, quite elegant in feel, with crisp minerality and crunchy wild berry fruits. There's an abundance of energy within, along with a balance of primary concentration. The 2022 tapers off long, structured and fresh. The potential here is very high. Contrada Chiappemacine blends volcanic soils at higher elevations with limestone in the lower parts. This is an understated beauty. (Vinous)
The Contrada ChiappaManiche has 90-year-old vines and is located midway up the volcanic cone at 550 meters in elevation. The Passopisciaro 2022 Contrada C shows a very specific character with a pronounced mineral note that cedes to blue and black fruits and fresh blooming violet. These two sides of the wine play against each other to add pretty contrasts and intensity. This elegant wine spends 18 months in oak. Some 4,000 bottles were released. (Wine Advocate, April 2025)
Contrada C comes from contrada Chiappemacine, at 550 metres above sea level in Passopisciaro. An intense and fleshy core of ripe cherry and strawberry is supported by good acidity with flecks of wild mint, and fine, round tannins. Generous yet poised and balanced, it's a moreish red with some floral notes on the sapid finish. (Decanter, September 2024)