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If Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo were ever to hook up after a wild night on a volcano and have a baby, their offspring would probably be a lot like Nerello Mascalese, the ancient red grape grown on Muont Etna's lava-strewn slopes. It manages the subtlety and hidden power of both magnificently. Nerello is why Etna Rosso is among the hottest (or coolest) wines in the wine world right now.
 
Passopisciaro (PAHS-soh-peesh-YAH-roh), the name of the winery and its tiny attendant village, is translated as ‘The Fisherman’s Path’ and was purchased and developed by Andrea Franchetti, owner of Tuscany’s famous Tenuta di Trinoro. Originally conceived as an estate-only project, Franchetti soon became passionate about exploring the major differences in other contrade scattered around the mountain, each with its own unique altitude, exposure and way of expressing the crisscrossing layers of ancient lava in the soil underneath. This led to the creation of a series of extraordinary single-contrada wines and, more importantly for us, the blended Passopisciaro Passorosso.
 
Coming partially from Franchetti’s original Guardiola contrada, but also from vaunted sites like Feudi di Mezzo and Malpasso, Passorosso has become Etna’s bellwether wine: a wine critics love, sommeliers love to show off and wine lovers love to open to show how exciting Etna has become. It’s on every great wine list in Sicily and just mentioning it will get very enthusiastic nods of approval in restaurants all over the country.
 
The 2024 is absolutely delicious—a wine of intensity, class and a ton of personality. Passorosso’s textbook aromas are a seductive blend of smoky, savory and sweet, and its fine acidity and round tannins will take your taste memory on a brief tour of Burgundy before reminding you that this wonderful Nerello Mascalese was grown deep in the lava of a very active Italian volcano!

It’s absolutely delicious.