“BB” Bombolieri Vino di Contrada IGT Sicilia 2019 – Occhipinti

This single-varietal Frappato comes from the Contrada Bombolieri and overlooks the Serra San Bartolo. Situated on the Strada Provinciale 68, the Contrada has a relatively thin topsoil of only 25cm with a sandy-clayey overlay. Underneath lies the bare limestone, which alternates between walnut-brown and white and turns red in the evening sun. In order to bring out the freshness of the microclimate, the minerality of the calcareous soils and the typicity of the Frappato, biodynamic viticulture is Occhipinti's way to balance. In the hot and windy climate of southern Sicily, Arianna Occhipinti works without irrigation, but with seeds such as fava beans and other useful plants. They protect the soil and the vines, which have been propagated from old genetics with the Massale selection. They work exclusively with gravity and there is no new wood, only used containers. Occhipinti abandons the DOC classification in favour of a fresher varietal expression and markets their site wines as IGT Terre Siciliane. The average production is only 2700 bottles.

Transparent ruby red, bright and clear.

The nose of Arianna Occhipinti's 2019 Vino di Contrada "BB" Bombolieri flirts in its youthful stage with the instantly popular reduction note reminiscent of fuse or matches. After sufficient aeration, the underlying bright red and at the same time radiant fruit unpacks raspberries, raspberry leaf, cassis and blackberry leaf and small sour cherries form a conglomerate of vegetal and fruity notes, all this doubly underlined by wet blackboard chalk, marked with two exclamation marks.

On the palate, the Frappato turns your mouth upside down Grippy to the get-no, it shows itself to be state-of-the-artsy as possible! Thanks to the mash level, the wine does without the often squeaky Frappato fruit and relies instead on a skilful tannin yield, which is responsible for the pleasantly grippy mouthfeel. Above it, the clear cherry fruit shines in a transparent light red with complementary raspberry and discreet herbal tea notes of mallow or something. The foundation is formed by the animatingly cool minerality, which connects to the ripe acidity and gives the wine its shimmering fruit with a rapid drinking flow. What's more, the cool Sicilian has only 12%, which is something Arianna Occhipinti has to do first in the heat of this southern European region. Bottle empty again - fire brigade!