2013 Arianna Occhipinti, Il Frappato, IGT Terre Siciliane, Sicilian Red, Italy.
The beautiful and charming Occhipinti 2013 Frappato is everything you’d expect of this natural wine superstar with it’s earthy/fruity interchange and subtle complexity. Arianna’s sincerely reflect her passion of place, these are serious and focused real terroir wines, in 2013 and 2014 vintages she has really crafted some compelling wines from the area of Vittoria in south Sicily. The latest Frappato shows a slightly darker profile with an almost ruby/garnet hue in the glass and the palate feels a bit more gripping, though it is still alive and vibrant with bright flavors and with it’s usual tangy sweet and savory balance, this is a vivid and transparent medium bodied offering with a rustic authentic character. The main thrust is wild tart strawberry along with interesting red peach, bing cherry and fresh vine picked raspberry along with lingonberry and truffle notes. The soft tannin and citrusy acidity give structure and bitter herbs, exotic spice, cedar, saline and dusty stones add contrast to the more fruity elements making for a delicate and entertaining wine that really impresses on the second or third sip and is magic with cuisine. The alcohol is about 13% which is perfectly ripe for Frappato and Arianna uses native yeasts to ferment, this wine has almost no sulfur, similar in style to Morgon’s Lapierre and the wines of La Stoppa in Emilia, Occhipinti’s wines are unique, a bit racy and wonderfully pure. This is an ironic wine, it could be from no other winemaker and from no other place, while others make lovely Frappato, including her uncle Giusto Occhipinti at COS, this wine is the standard barer. Drink Arianna’s 2013 Frappato from 2016 to 2024, it’s a glorious example of varietal, showing finesse and elegance, but with a raw organic streak that shines through that makes it addictive even now.
($39 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
