2019 Franchetti Rosso
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Tasting notes
With 4,116 bottles released, the 2019 Franchetti is 97% Petit Verdot that is accented with 3% Cesanese d'Affile (a native grape found primarily in Lazio or central Italy). This might not be to everyone's taste, but I love the elegance, dark concentration and aromatic intensity of this very unusual and courageous wine (I mean, who plants Cesanese on Etna?). It is extracted and inky with black fruit and etched end notes of pencil shaving and crushed white pepper corn. The vines are planted at 800 to 900 meters in elevation and are about 20 years old.
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Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
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The 2019 Franchetti is like a dark stallion, muscled and sleek. It opens slowly in the glass, inward yet viral, with dusty dried flowers giving way to nuances of plum, brown spice, cardamom, savory herbs and hints of cocoa. The textures here are like crushed velvet, prominent, almost weighty, yet with a balance of brisk acidity and tart fruits that add contrast. The 2019 leaves a subtle staining of harmonious tannins, along with dark inner florals and hints of black currant that linger incredibly long. The vines for the Franchetti were planted in 2000 within the Guardiola cru. In 2019, the blend is Petit Verdot-dominated, with only 3% Cesanese d'affile.
About the producer
Tenuta di Passopisciaro is the Etna estate owned by Andrea Franchetti, one of Italy’s pioneering winemakers who founded the Super Tuscan estate Tenuta di Trinoro, before becoming instrumental in Mount Etna’s wine renaissance with his Passopisciaro estate.