LAMORESCA
Lamoresca Rosso 2021
Sicily, Italy
A blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato from vines planted over sandstone and clay high in the hills outside San Michele di Ganzaria. The grapes were fermented on the skins for a month, then aged in old wooden casks for one year. A wine that always feels resolutely Sicilian, it is a little more lifted and perfumed than previous vintages, with a wonderful purity of fruit framed by plush tannins. A wine that makes so much sense with the rustic dishes of the island’s interior.
Nero d’Avola, Frappato
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Filippo Rizzo’s vines are right in the middle of nowhere, on a raised patch of rolling hills in Sicily’s interior, with the only reference point being the smouldering peak of Etna peering over the hills.
They total five hectares and are up to 60 years old, planted over a mix of sand and clay at an elevation of 430 metres above sea level. There are rather dramatic differences in temperature between day and night, a real boon in this typically Mediterranean climate.
Filippo is wary of dogma and simply seeks to make the best wine that each vintage allows. Grapes are only picked when completely ripe and the wines offer complexity, density and balance.
Vineyard work is organic and the approach to winemaking is restrained, considered and practical, with the aim to provide characterful expressions of Sicily’s native grapes.