Franchetti

  • Passopisciaro
  • Sicilia, Italy

Method & Production

Franchetti is the top wine produced at Passopisciaro, a Super-Etnean wine of petit verdot and cesanese d’Affile from volcanic rock and ash. The grapes were planted in the early 2000s after Andrea Franchetti purchased the estate in the Contrada Guardiola – a dense planting with vines 90cm x 90cm apart, at 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level. The vines undergo a rigorous ritual of green harvesting, leaving only five bunches on each vine. Fermentation in 30hl steel vats for 14 days. Then the wine goes through malolactic and is aged in new French oak.

Tasting notes

Franchetti’s distinct style is apparent throughout each vintage of this wine, year after year producing wines with a richness, a depth of flavor, and layers of complexity. Due to the volcanic soil, the Petit Verdot is more peppery and spicy, leaner and stiffer in body, still with great structure. Cesanese d’Affile is a gentler and aromatic, counter to the Petit Verdot. This is a rich and complex wine with great aging potential.


“A blend of 50% Petit Verdot and 50% Cesanese d’Affile planted in the Contrada Guardiola at 820 meters in elevation, the 2018 Franchetti is the feather in vintner Andrea Franchetti’s Etna cap. The wine is saturated and thick, boasting a dark, rich appearance and carrying a 14.5% alcohol content. It shows medium-rich concentration with aromas of blackberry, black plum, spice and tar. There is some fruit softness here, but not very much, as the wine is more etched and sharp in personality. There are end notes of pencil shaving and crushed granite stone. Again, this 2018 vintage is naturally thinner and shorter compared to previous editions. It should be interesting to see how it fleshes out with more time in the bottle. Production is 3,930 bottles. Drink 2022-2035.” 94+ points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate