2021 Paolo Calì Frappato di Vittoria DOC

100% Frappato. Pharmacist-turned-winemaker Paolo Cali has grows his grapes in fields of Sicilian sand. Not much other than grapes can grow here, so farming is fully organic and even those treatments minimal. Hand harvested and fermented with native yeasts; bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur. 

Tasting Notes

Light in body with surprising depth of flavor. Fresh and stewed strawberries, tart cherries, black pepper, violets, dried flowers, smoke and anise all make appearances. Dry, with medium tannins and acidity but a surprisingly smooth and supple mouthfeel. For fans of elegant Pinot.

About Paolo Calì

Paolo Calì is a pharmacist turned winemaker. He only grows native Sicilian varietals such as Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Grillo. Paolo Calì’s vineyards look like the beach. Literally. One might be inclined to set up a beach chair and an umbrella when looking at them. This being Sicily and Sicily being Italy, Paolo chose vines. The middle of the Mediterranean, charming as it may be, is not a forgiving place to grow vines. The wind (dubbed Scirocco) whipping up off the coast of Northern Africa can be brutal. According to Paolo, the estate has been in his family since 1780. There were vineyards here when he was a kid and coming here to play. Those vineyards had apparently been abandoned because, according to the estate’s website, there was a replanting in 1990. The estate was turned over to Paolo by his father in 2008.

92 points, James Suckling. "Strawberry and cedar with some salted caramel aromas. Medium body. Bright acidity and a clean finish. Bark and mushroom to the fruit. Complex for a frappato. Drink or hold."