Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Terre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese 2023

ITALY : SICILY : TERRE SICILIANECERTIFIED ORGANIC : Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante Bouschet, MinnellaMED-BODIED, POMEGRANATE, RASPBERRY, FOREST FLOOR, SMOKY MINERAL, NO OAKFrank Cornelissen arrived on Mount Etna in 2001 — a Belgian with no winemaking training and one objective: capture what he calls ‘liquified rock.’ Susucaru is his entry-level red, a field blend drawn from 50-year-old vines across multiple parcels on Etna’s northern slopes, labeled Terre Siciliane because the blend pulls from plots outside the strict Etna DOC zone. No wood touches the wine at any stage; everything happens in neutral epoxy tanks, the better to taste the volcano.Destemmed and lightly crushed, then fermented spontaneously with native yeasts and left on skins for 60 days. No sulfur added. No fining. The 2023 vintage in Sicily was the smallest in decades — down 31% from spring mildew — and the wines that survived show the kind of clarity and definition that comes from natural selection in a difficult year.PAIRINGS : Pasta alla Norma the classic Sicilian pairing; the tomato’s acidity and the wine’s minerality find each other easily Grilled lamb chops with herbs the wine’s earthy character handles the fat; medium tannin doesn’t dominate Aged Pecorino Siciliano lean fruit and clean acidity against the salty, crystalline cheese — a regional match

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