2022 Arianna Occhipinti, Il Frappato, Terre SiciIiane I.G.T. Rosso, Sicily, Italy.
The newest release of Arianna Occhipinti’s Il Frappato is quite reserved and is best with food to bring out its shy fruit, but really blossoms in the glass as it fully unwinds revealing a vibrant array of red fruits, mineral tones, a transparent earthiness, exotic spice and minty herbs. I was thrilled by how good this wine was on day two and three, as I followed its progress, which brought out the full palate of flavors and richness. There’s a bright sense of natural acidity and silky tannins, weighted like a Pinot Noir or Cru Beaujolais, but with interesting lingonberry, tart huckleberry leading the way here, along with a classic core strawberry, hints of truffle, fennel, walnut, delicate lilac florals and loam. One of Sicily’s most coveted wines, Arianna Occhipinti’s Il Frappato is a natural wine icon and her signature wine made from her estate vines in the Vittoria region in southeast of the island, the native home to Frappato. The Occhipinti family, Arianna and her uncle Guisto Ochhipinti of COS Winery has almost single handedly brought fame and attention to this region and Frappato!
The Frappato grapes, as noted before in my previous reviews, are organically grown on the red sandstone and chalky (limestone) soils that are the hallmark on this side of the Island at just under 900 feet of elevation with an average vine age of 40 years, which shows in the subtle concentration of flavors and the energy of holistic farming approach that Arianna employs. According to her cellar notes the Il Frappato sees a long maceration with 50 days of skin maceration, with 100% indigenous yeasts for fermentation with absolutely no additions or manipulation and very low sulfur if any. The is always a sultry, raw charm and personality that mirrors Occhipinti in her wines, they are singular and authentic without flashy adornment, like this dark ruby/garnet Il Frappato that shows ultra transparency, coming from traditional aging, it saw 14 months in large neutral Slovenian Oak barrels. The latest unfiltered and all organic Il Frappato, that comes in at 12.5% natural alcohol, is fresh, ultra dry and highly quaffable, it shows off a flexible personally that makes it great with a range of cuisine choices and should drink nicely for 3 to 5 years. I hadn’t had the Il Frappato in a couple of vintages and it shows that Occhipinti is evolving as a winemaker and I am exciting to try the rest of her current releases in the near future.
($45 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive