2019 Passopisciaro 'Passobianco', Etna

“Man realizes his true self through what he creates” – Andrea Franchetti.

In 2000, one of Italy's most visionary wine producers Andrea Franchetti decided to restore an old farm and wine cellars on the slopes of Mount Etna, an active volcano in northeastern Sicily. The winery sits at about a thousand meters of altitude above the small wine town of Passopisciaro in the district of Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slope of the volcano. His arrival on Etna helped to initiate the renaissance of viticulture on the mountain and an international discovery of the wines of Etna. Through his hard work and vision Etna has become renowned as one of the most exciting regions for wine in Italy. 

Andrea Franchetti's passing in early December 2021 has left a void in the international world of wine, but his legacy - Tenuta di Trinoro and Passopisciaro – will continue to flourish.

Instead of the indigenous Carricante, which grows on the eastern side of the volcano, Passobianco is made of 100% Chardonnay. When Franchetti arrived on Mt. Etna, he planted 4 hectares of the grape on steep terraces between 850 and 1,000 meters in the contrada of Guardiola, in very loose, deep, powder-like lava that is high in minerals.