2015 Contrada R

Franchetti is well-known as the owner of Tuscany’s Tenuta di Trinoro and its famous, large-scaled wines that are much sought after by collectors all over the world. His Sicilian estate, formerly known as Passopisciaro, has done wonders for the Etna denomination and has the merit (along with Benanti , who first attracted attention to the area, and Tenuta delle Terre Nere, who helped further crystallize it later) of having launched Etna’s wines into to the stratosphere. Franchetti started bottling wine on Etna in 2001, then in 2008 started bottling his single contrada wines that were a knockout from day one, it’s safe to say he has never looked back. The wines are sultry, highly perfumed and profound. The estate recently planted two more hectares of Chardonnay in Monte Dolce to go with the three in Guardiola. In fact, and rather curiously for an Etna estate, there is no Carricante-based white wine made here, as Franchetti really doesn’t like the variety much. It’s about the only thing I am in disagreement with him!