Passopisciaro

In the winter of 2000, Andrea Franchetti arrived on Mount Etna and found an abandoned volcano dotted with collapsed wineries and crumbling stone terraces. He decided to restore an old farmhouse and cellar on the northern slope, in the hamlet of Passopisciaro in the district of Castiglione di Sicilia, and the winery bears the name of that small wine town. Franchetti had already created Tenuta di Trinoro in Tuscany's Val d'Orcia, where Bordeaux varieties had become a critical sensation, but Etna offered something entirely different: ancient ungrafted vines, volcanic soils of extraordinary mineral complexity, and an altitude that no one else had explored at serious scale. His arrival helped initiate the renaissance of viticulture on the mountain.

• Franchetti arrived on Etna in 2000 and restored an old farm and cellars on the northern slope of the volcano in the district of Castiglione di Sicilia
• The winery sits at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level, above the small wine town of Passopisciaro
• Before Passopisciaro, Franchetti built Tenuta di Trinoro in Val d'Orcia, whose first vintage in 1997 was an immediate critical success
• Franchetti founded the annual Contrade dell'Etna tasting event in 2008, now recognized as the most important wine showcase on the volcano

Each lava spill on Etna leaves a unique mineral profile, giving rise to distinct terroirs called contrade. The borders of these contrade reflect old feudal property lines still mapped on the local land registry. Significant diurnal temperature swings at altitude necessitate a longer growing period, contributing complexity and intensity. Passopisciaro's vineyards span elevations from 550 meters at Contrada Chiappemacine, the lowest single-vineyard site, to over 1,000 meters at Contrada Rampante, the highest. Contrada Chiappemacine sits atop a thin layer of lava above a limestone bed, giving its wine a fuller, rounder style; Rampante, at the extreme upper limit of Nerello Mascalese ripening, produces the estate's most aromatic and ethereal expression.

• Vineyards span 550 to 1,080 meters elevation; vines are 70 to 100 or more years old, many ungrafted, and trained in the traditional alberello (bush vine) system
• Contrada Chiappemacine (C) is the lowest cru at 550 meters, with thin lava over limestone; Contrada Rampante (R) is the highest at over 1,000 meters
• Each lava flow leaves a distinct mineral profile; Franchetti was among the first to recognize this as the basis for separate terroir-driven crus
• Diurnal temperature swings at these altitudes extend the growing season, and Nerello Mascalese harvest typically occurs at the end of October or early November

Franchetti's approach to Nerello Mascalese was stripped back compared to his Tuscan work. He described the process simply: on Etna, he made wine from the juice, with minimal skin contact and aging in large neutral casks rather than barriques. The Nerello wines ferment in thermoregulated steel vats, undergo malolactic fermentation, and age for 18 months in large, neutral oak barrels. This minimal-intervention approach is designed to let the differences between contrade shine without interference from new oak. The Franchetti red, by contrast, receives aging in new French oak barriques, reflecting its character as a winemaker's wine rather than a wine of place.

• Nerello Mascalese wines ferment in steel vats and age 18 months in large neutral oak barrels; minimal intervention preserves terroir expression
• Franchetti described the approach as making wine from the juice with minimal skin contact, unlike his Bordeaux-influenced Tuscan style
• The Franchetti red (Petit Verdot and Cesanese d'Affile) uses new French oak barriques, representing a deliberately different, winemaker-driven vision
• Vines replanted at 12,000 per hectare on thin volcanic soil; spontaneous fermentation preserves the wild character of the mountain

Andrea Franchetti is widely credited as one of the key pioneers who brought Etna to international attention. In 2001, he was among the first to vinify Nerello Mascalese seriously, and over the following years he introduced and promoted the concept of contrada wines modeled on the Burgundian cru. He co-founded, with Marco De Grazia, the movement that put the volcano on the world wine stage. Franchetti's achievements extended beyond his own bottles: he founded the annual Contrade dell'Etna event in 2008, which draws journalists and buyers from around the world each year and remains the volcano's premier showcase.

• Among the first producers, alongside Marco De Grazia, to bring Etna's wines to international critical attention in the early 2000s
• Introduced the contrada bottling system to Etna in 2008, applying the Burgundian cru model to distinct volcanic lava flows
• Founded Le Contrade dell'Etna in 2008, still the most important annual tasting event on the volcano, attracting global press and trade
• Decanter described him as one of the most talented and visionary Italian producers of his generation

Passopisciaro produces nine wines in total. The Passorosso, first made in 2001, is a blend of old-vine Nerello Mascalese from multiple contrade and altitudes, offering an accessible, holistic view of the estate. The five single-contrada reds, Chiappemacine (C), Porcaria (P), Guardiola (G), Sciaranuova (S), and Rampante (R), began with the 2008 vintage and form the intellectual heart of the portfolio. Passobianco, a 100% Chardonnay from steep terraces in Contrada Guardiola at 850 to 1,000 meters, had its first vintage in 2007. A more concentrated single-parcel Chardonnay, Contrada PC, was added starting in 2018 from a tiny plot at 870 to 950 meters. The Franchetti red, from Petit Verdot and Cesanese d'Affile planted in Contrada Guardiola at 1,000 meters, has been produced since 2005.

• Passorosso, first vintage 2001, blends Nerello Mascalese from multiple contrade; vines are 80 to 110 years old
• Five contrada reds debut with the 2008 vintage; each represents a distinct lava flow, elevation, and mineral composition
• Passobianco, first vintage 2007 (originally called Guardiola Bianco), is 100% Chardonnay from 4 hectares planted at 850 to 1,000 meters; held two years in bottle before release from 2014 onward
• Franchetti red (debut 2005) uses Petit Verdot from St. Julien cuttings alongside Cesanese d'Affile, a rare Lazio grape that Franchetti helped preserve from near-extinction

Andrea Franchetti died on the night of December 5 to 6, 2021, at age 72 at his home in Rome following a long illness. He is survived by four children: Cody, Benjamin, Giordano, and Baldassarra. His son Benjamin, a mechanical engineer with a PhD in mathematical modeling of fluid dynamic processes from Imperial College London, now leads the estate and has expressed a commitment to passing the legacy forward to future generations. In the cellar, winemaker Vincenzo Lo Mauro, who has been with Passopisciaro since the very first vintage, continues to guide vinification with deep knowledge of every contrada.

• Andrea Franchetti died December 5, 2021, age 72, in Rome; survived by four children: Cody, Benjamin, Giordano, and Baldassarra
• Son Benjamin Franchetti, a mechanical engineer with a PhD from Imperial College London, now manages both Passopisciaro and the wider Vini Franchetti group
• Winemaker Vincenzo Lo Mauro has been at Passopisciaro since the first vintage and remains the key figure in cellar continuity
• Benjamin has described his role as building a bridge from generation to generation, maintaining his father's vision of supreme quality