Among them, Antoine Arena sons from Morta Maio in Corsica. It was cool to taste again their wines which will be the subject of another post pretty soon.
Also among the winemakers, Arianna Occhipinti from Vittoria in the southern part of Sicily. Her uncle is the owner of the famous COS winery and she is now, rightfully, probably as famous as her uncle Giusto.
It was great to talk to this young women, full of energy and passion, just like her wines. The 1st bottle from Arianna I had was a revelation and since then, every bottles have been as great and exciting as the 1st.
While a lot of Sicilian wines are just caricatures, Arianna's wines are models for purity, balance and freshness. How many Sicilian reds are below 13% while offering a perfect ripeness and acidity? Thanks God people such as Arianna, COS and a few more respect and showcase the Sicilian terroirs and native grapes. No new barrel here, only old ones that Arianna buys in Piedmont. Respect of the soil and the grapes is essential for her.
The 1st wine Arianna was pouring was her 2008 Rosso Vittoria SP68, a blend of Frappato and Nero d'Avola, named after the highway by her azienda. Easy to drink, fruit forward with a hint of spices, perfect for lunch under the sun.
Next was the 2007 Il Frappato. I know I already talked about it in a previous post here, but again this showed a beautiful purity and freshness with flagrant flowery and red fruits notes. Surprisingly more evolved than the bottles I had here, it was still a really great wine.
Last was her 2007 Siccagno Nero d'Avola. A little more meaty and more masculine, more stewed fruits (but never jammy), this needs a little more time but showed great potential and is already quite delicious and complex.
Overall a great tasting and opportunity to meet and talk to Arianna. I can not wait to try her wines in the future vintages as her vines get older.
It also was a good surprise to see her wines available in Paris (Lavinia, Caves Augé) and would urge anyone to try them very soon.
Bonne degust' !
PS: check out her website and blog.
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