Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
Passorosso brings together Nerello Mascalese from several northern-Etna contrade: Malpasso, Guardiola, Santo Spirito, Favazza and Arcuria. The 2024 selection came from vineyards between 550 and 800 m, while the broader estate holdings described for the wine extend as high as 1,000 m. Its old bush-trained vines cross multiple volcanic environments. Some soils are rich in ash, while others contain lava stones of different grain sizes; higher sites tend to be more gravelly, whereas lower vineyards have deeper, powder-like material formed from older, more oxidized lava.
The 2024 wine was made exclusively from old vines averaging approximately 100 years of age.
Grapes
100% Nerello Mascalese.
Vinification
For 2024, extraction from skins and seeds was deliberately restrained. Maceration lasted 8–9 days, and fermentation temperatures remained at or below 26–28°C.
Ageing
The 2024 wine matured mainly in large oak barrels, with a small portion aged in concrete vats. Passorosso is generally raised in large neutral-oak vessels and bottled without filtration. The 2024 vintage was bottled during the waning moon in September 2025.
Technical data
The 2024 production comprised 60,000 bottles of 0.75 L and 450 magnums. Beginning with the 2014 vintage, the wine has carried the Etna Rosso DOC designation.
Tasting profile
The 2024 opens with a deep, elegant combination of fruit and spice. It is lively and savory on the palate, with bright acidity balancing the alcohol and silky tannins. The broader house profile emphasizes bright, pure red fruit, mineral and herbal notes. With bottle age, the color becomes lighter and aromas of camphor, sandalwood and spice emerge.
Vintage notes
The 2024 growing season began with a cold, clear winter and a favorable spring without damaging late frost. Flowering took place from late May into early June. Summer then became intensely hot and dry, necessitating irrigation where possible. Rain in early August brought some hail damage, especially in lower vineyards, and prolonged drought caused the loss of some vines. Red-grape harvesting began on 3 October, with the last Passorosso fruit arriving on 11 October. The higher vineyards delivered particularly rich, generous clusters, giving the wine a balance of body, tannins, acidity and alcohol.
Label / history
The wine was formerly named Passopisciaro. Its first vintage was 2001, and it was renamed Passorosso before receiving Etna Rosso DOC status from the 2014 vintage onward.
