Passopisciaro

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• Visionary Etna estate founded in 2000 by Andrea Franchetti, one of the key figures in Etna's modern renaissance.
• High-elevation vineyards (up to 1,000 m) on Etna's north slope, planted with old-vine Nerello Mascalese and Chardonnay grown in distinct lava-flow "Contrade."
• Elegant, precise volcanic wines that helped define today's Etna style and the formal recognition of Contrade as single vineyard sites.

OWNERSHIP, LOCATION & ESTATE OVERVIEW
Passopisciaro is located on the northern slope of Mount Etna in the village of Passopisciaro, with vineyards reaching roughly 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). Andrea Franchetti founded the estate in 2000, restoring abandoned terraces and century-old vineyards on the volcano and betting on Nerello Mascalese as Etna's clearest red voice. His parcel-by-parcel approach helped establish the modern framework for Etna's Contrade—single vineyard sites shaped by historic lava flows—now central to how the region is understood. After Franchetti's death in 2021, his son Benjamin took the reins, carrying the original vision forward with a more technical, data-driven focus.

FARMING, VINEYARDS & ETNA TERROIR
Etna's soils are a complex mix of basalt, ash, pumice, sand, and broken lava stone—porous, mineral-rich ground that forces vines to dig deep and keeps yields in check. Passopisciaro farms among the north slope's highest and oldest vineyards, with many parcels in the 70-100-year range and some ungrafted vines rooted directly in volcanic soils. Each Contrada reflects a different lava history, and those shifts show up in the glass as changes in aroma, texture, and tension. Nerello Mascalese is the center of gravity, supported by small plantings of Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, and Cesanese d'Affile—unusual choices on Etna when first introduced.

WINEMAKING & WINE STYLE
The guiding idea is clarity: let Etna and each site speak without make-up. Fermentations are long and steady, extraction is measured, and large neutral oak keeps the focus on fruit, structure, and volcanic detail rather than wood flavor. Under Benjamin Franchetti, vineyard and cellar decisions are increasingly mapped and repeated, tightening quality year after year while keeping the wines true to place. The best bottles read like a volcanic take on Burgundy—precise, aromatic, and layered—yet with a distinctly Etna edge.

THE BENCHMARK FOR SERIOUS ETNA
Passopisciaro is widely seen as a reference point for Etna's modern rise, setting the template for single-Contrada bottlings and high-altitude Nerello Mascalese. The wines aren't about sheer weight; they're about lift, fine tannins, and mineral drive, with the kind of site character that draws collectors who already love top Burgundy, Piedmont, and age-worthy Italian reds.