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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2013 and 2018 (based on 30 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.8 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 22 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by forceberry on 2/16/2021 & rated 89 points: 100% Chardonnay from very densely-planted, 8 years old vineyard situated over 1000 meters above the sea level. Fermented in stainless steel, aged for some 12 months in glazed 5000-liter cement vats. Total production 20,000 bottles. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Intense neon yellow-green color. The nose feels leesy and somewhat lactic with a whiff of sourmilk or yogurt, followed by aromas of white peach, some sappy herbal tones, a little bit of creaminess, light sweet notes of apple jam, a hint of nuttiness and a touch of woolly lanolin. The wine is round, moderately full-bodied and conspicuously sweet-toned on the palate, coming across as somewhat off-dry, perhaps even medium-dry? Flavors of honeydew melon, some woolly tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light steely tones, a hint of leesy yeast character almost reminiscent of Champagne and a touch of ripe pear. The overall feel is very rich and supple, the medium acidity keeping to the background - yet the overall feel is pleasant and balanced. The finish is rich and comes across as off-dry with quite long flavors of honey, some cantaloupe, light stony mineral notes, a little bit of creamy richness, a hint of nuttiness and a sweet touch of pear marmalade.
A tasty, harmonious and still surprisingly youthful Etna Chardonnay that was surprisingly sweet-toned - even slightly marmaladey - for the style. I wonder whether it was because of the combination of ripeness and modest acidity, or if the wine actually wasn't fermented to full dryness? At least to me the wine didn't feel technically dry, which made me automatically think of off-dry Chenin Blanc from Loire. Well, I was pretty wrong here. Live and learn. Nevertheless, this was enjoyable for the style, be it dry or off-dry. Most likely will keep if not improve for a good handful of years more. (1193 views) | | | Tasted by bcg14 on 11/9/2014 & rated 91 points: Lightly saline, with peach overtones. A beautiful and subtle expression of chardonnay. (3063 views) | | | Tasted by il_diavolo on 9/19/2014 & rated 91 points: Good showing - better than last. Straw yellow colour. Again lots of white fruits but decent richness, without losing balance. Style wise, tHis is somewhere in between an oaked burgundy and a more elegant non oaked chablis. (3128 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 8/26/2014 & rated 91 points: Aeolian Sailing Trip & a bit of Etna; 8/22/2014-8/31/2014 (Eolian Islands): Second time we come across this in 2 days and definitely a much better show. Had 3 very consistent bottles too. The addition of oak give a waxy side to the wine ( no vanilla thanks God) and depth. Reminded us a bit of south african lightly oaked chenins at times, mineral, ripe, full and with good length. Solid. 91 (4123 views) | | | Tasted by Papies on 8/25/2014 & rated 89 points: Aeolian Sailing Trip & a bit of Etna; 8/22/2014-8/31/2014 (Eolian Islands): Very puzzled with this wine as it did not have the designation "Guardiola" on the label so not sure if its a local label or another white, a generic sicilia from Passopisciiaro... As no other white is listed on the winemakers website we assumed its the correct one. Pls reach out to us if u have info. Will also email the producer.
Dense, waxy wine. Rich fruit, mineral full wine. Oak dynamic too. 89 (3932 views) | | | Tasted by il_diavolo on 7/22/2014 & rated 90 points: Light straw colour. Peach and melon nose. More white fruit on palate, peach and pear. Nice balance and nice finish. I wanted more minerality that wasnt there. Still very nice. (2814 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 3/8/2014: Really popping right now. Medium straw, bright, clear. Seashells at first, followed quickly by baking bread, starfruit, cake spice, tangerine and minerals. Medium-bodied, with a textured entry and late, but prolonged attack. Flavors of marmalade, under-ripe apples, with a swift movement to orchard and stone fruits; a finish that builds for 30 seconds and continues, satisfyingly, beyond that. There's a slightly bitter, saline-like thread, too, but it's more curious than distracting or unpleasant. Gained a fair amount of weight as it warmed (and the bitterness was replaced with a sense of sweet orchard fruit) but stayed well inside the boundaries of proper balance. 13,0% abv, recommended, drink thru 2018.
Aerated to decanter 1 hour, returned to bottle and served non-blind 4 hours later. Paired quite well with winter squash and herbed, grilled pork chops.
https://italianwine.blog/ (2161 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 6/9/2013 & rated 89 points: Euro-Themed Lunch - Island Theme (Corsica, Canary Island, Sicily, Cyprus) (Donato Enoteca, Redwood City, CA): Light yellow color. Fresh nose (B++). Excellent palate (B+). (2632 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 6/9/2013 & rated 91 points: Light straw yellow color; appealing, tart pear, poached pear nose; tasty, juicy, medium bodied, rich with balance, tart pear, tart apple, mineral palate; medium-plus finish (100% Chardonnay, 3 months in neutral Austrian oak and 3 months in concrete tanks; 13% alcohol) 91+ points (392 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 6/1/2013: PnP, served non-blind, and consumed over 90 minutes. Light straw color. Mineral, beeswax and orchard fruit aromas. Less mineral on the medium-bodied, multi-layered palate. Lovely texture, rich but lifted and clean; very pure fruit. Delicious from beginning to end, which is to say I'm rather looking forward to the others in my cellar. 13,0% abv, so not CA Chard, recommended, thru 2016 (2238 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 5/8/2013: consistent with previous bottle (2153 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 5/8/2013: Slow-O 1 hr, served non-blind. Creamy, cheesy, chalky, crisp and clean. This should be totally on point in another year, not fully knitted together yet. 13,0% abv, drink thru 2016. (2373 views) | | | Tasted by Zlusty goose on 4/26/2013: Acid, apple, young, (1728 views) | | | Tasted by cardsandwine on 2/25/2013: I have had this gorgeous Chardonnay from Sicily on numerous occasions, including this past Monday at Maialino in NYC. No wood is used in the vinification process resulting in a crisp, clean and focused wine, with a lush and almost bubble gum like finish. A wine with soul! (1413 views) | | | Tasted by Dokken on 1/2/2013 & rated 91 points: Youthful lemon with a developing moderately intense nose delivering saffran and cloves over pear and honey. Rich and buttery on palate with creamy texture and zesty acidity in balance with medium full body and 13% abv. Long with judicious use of oak(Austrian oak for 3 months and some concrete) this a very good example of a concentrated wine that hasnt sacrifised elegance. Could age for 4-6 years posibly more. (1396 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 10/4/2012 & rated 87 points: Clear light yellow. A bit cheesy with some apple and pear, not ripe and not really earthy in any way. A very nice wine but not very interesting.
I expected a lot more from this wine, some mineral or chalkiness, afterall the grapes are grown in Etna. (1541 views) | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 7/6/2012 & rated 86 points: Clean, clear, light lemon in color with a medium body
Some petulance on the pour. Hints of apples and stone fruit.
Fresh, some minerality. Could use some more acidity
High alcohol, with a longish finish
This is an interesting wine and although lacking depth, it still delivers what's needed on a hot summer day while soaking up the sun on the roof deck. There is much better value our there at this price point (-1 pt) (1799 views) | | | Tasted by RajivAyyangar on 11/18/2011 & rated 78 points: Devenish Thanksgiving Tasting (Brown Trading Company): Light vanilla wood, faint moscato-like fruit. needs more acidity. (3638 views) |
| By Walter Speller
JancisRobinson.com (3/5/2012)
(Passopisciaro, Guardiola IGT Sicilia White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Exploring the Best of Central and Southern Italy (June 2011)
(Passopisciaro Guardiola) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/9/2013)
(Passopisciaro Passopisciaro Bianco Guardiola) Light straw yellow color; appealing, tart pear, poached pear nose; tasty, juicy, medium bodied, rich with balance, tart pear, tart apple, mineral palate; medium-plus finish (100% Chardonnay, 3 months in neutral Austrian oak and 3 months in concrete tanks; 13% alcohol) 91+ points 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Passopisciaro Producer website
Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
About Passopisciaro
Passopisciaro sits high atop an old volcanic flow on the northern slope of Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, on the island of Sicily. It was acquired by the Tuscan visionary Andrea Franchetti in 2000 who then proceeded to restore its old farm, cellars, and terraced vineyards across the face of the volcano. Passopisciaro’s vineyards are located in various contradas, or crus, between 1,800-3,600 feet above sea level, and its microclimate is almost alpine with intense sunlight and drastic temperature shifts between day and night. The growing season often stretches into November. The soil is comprised of various types of volcanic ash which, combined with the diffused light, diurnal shifts, and varying altitudes, creates a highly unique growing environment for wine. Viticulture and winemaking here have extremely ancient origins, with the first written reports dating from the third century BC, yet Franchetti’s arrival on Etna helped to initiate the renaissance of quality viticulture on the mountain. According to Jancis Robinson, “the Etna wine revolution began with 2001, the first vintage for Passopisciaro, a small estate founded on ancient, high-altitude vines by Andrea Franchetti.”
Around the winery, located in the contrada of Guardiola, Franchetti decided to plant a small amount of the varieties Petit Verdot and Cesanese d’Affile at a density of 12,000 vines per hectare on thin lavic soil to produce his flagship wine at the estate, aptly named Franchetti. The blend varies with each vintage, and while rare, the result is sometimes a 100% Petit Verdot, as in 2006 and 2010. On Etna, due to the volcanic soil, Petit Verdot becomes more peppery and spicy, leaner and stiffer in body. Cesanese d’Affile, a grape from Lazio that Franchetti first planted in Tuscany, is a more gentle, aromatic counter to the structure of the Petit Verdot, although it has great aging potential. The wine represents Franchetti’s attempt to create a completely different wine on Etna, more evocative of the thick plumes of smoke the volcano emits than the lighter, indigenous variety Nerello Mascalese. In addition to this proprietary blend, Franchetti also produces an elegant, mineral-driven Chardonnay Guardiola Bianco and a series of six wines that express the effects of different altitudes and lava flows on the local grape Nerello Mascalese: Passopisciaro Rosso and five individual Contrada wines.
In addition to Passopisciaro, Andrea Franchetti also owns another unique winery—Tenuta di Trinoro, located in the confluence of southern Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria. The wines of both estates are astounding examples of the benefits of the relentless pursuit of quality and distinctiveness in extreme growing environments.Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeGuardiola On weinlagen-infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorSicilycossyra |
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