Arianna Occhipinti - Vino Di Contrada 2021 (750ml)
Price: $89.99
Sale Price: $73.79
| Producer | Arianna Occhipinti |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Subregion | Terre Siciliane |
| Varietal | Frappato |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 7329 |
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100% Frappato. Contrada names are not permitted on Sicilian wine labels, so each name is represented by a two-letter abbrevation--"BB" for Bomboliere, "PT" for Pettineo--with each being cheekily struck through with a line to emphasize their illicitness. The farming is certified-organic with biodynamic practices. Harvest is by hand. The bunches are mostly destemmed with the berries left whole. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts in 20-hectoliter concrete tanks with a maceration of 2-3 weeks and occasional punchdowns. The wines are aged in concrete for about 22 months and bottled without fining or filtration. Sulfur use is minimal.
Arianna Occhipinti Description
Fossa di Lupo: historic district, backbone of my work since 2004. The sapling vineyard has a planting layout typical of the Vittoria area. The district faces the Iblei Mountains to the north-east; from here fruity but also austere wines with good acidity usually derive.
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
The Arianna Occhipinti 2021 Frappato Vino di Contrada BB comes from the Contrada Bombolieri, a one-hectare site with a thin layer of white sand soil at the surface and a mix of compact limestone rock underground. The wine ferments in cement with native yeasts with 20 days on the skins and then ages in oval cement vats for 20 months. This wine shows a superior level of clarity and fruit delineation that gives the bouquet extra intensity and lift. This mid-weight Frappato (with 2,634 bottles released) ends with a note of sweetness, and the powdery tannins are very fine.
The Arianna Occhipinti 2021 Frappato Vino di Contrada PT has a subtle level of complexity that requires a little extra attention before it emerges. Give the wine a few moments in the glass to allow the bouquet to clear. Once it does, you will encounter aromas of small berries, tart pomegranate seed, blue flower and even a hint of orange blossom. This special one-hectare site in the Contrada Pettineo (or "PT") has about 60 centimeters of reddish soil on the surface and a layer of tufo rock underneath. Seventy-year-old vines started as alberello (or bush-trained) but have since been adjusted to trellising, resulting in their monumental shape. This is a production of 2,656 rather heavy glass bottles. The finish is fresh and especially delicate. You need to expect the unexpected with Arianna Occhipinti's wines, and this bottle is a happy surprise.
