2022 Vigneti Zabù, `Il Passo` Nerello Mascalese - Liberty

Vigneti Zabù, in southern Sicily, is part of the Fantini group, founded by Valentino Sciotti in 1994 to produce top-quality wine from southern Italy. In 2005, Valentino and his and Sicilian winemaker Giuseppe Alfano Burruano planted their own vineyards on the hills around Lake Arancio, in Sambuca di Sicilia. Here, the untouched landscape boasts many ancient vineyards and proximity to the lake creates a perfect microclimate for grape growing. Their vines are planted at 400 metres above sea level on clay soils with good water retention capacity, which helps sustain the vines through Sicily’s hot summers. Today, these vines continue to flourish, lending themselves to attractive, drinkable wines.

The Grillo is fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel, resulting in a wine with fresh aromatics and a lovely balance. The Nero d’Avola is also fermented in stainless steel, creating an expression defined by aromas of red cherry and supple tannins. The best organic grapes are selected to produce the ‘Il Passo Verde’ Organic Nero d’Avola. 50% of the wine is aged in barriques, while the other 50% is aged in concrete tanks for about six months. The ‘Il Passo’ Nerello Mascalese is the star of the show here and really exceeds expectations. It is freshly scented with a full and supple palate.

The Vigneti Zabù vineyards were planted in 2005 on the hills around Lake Arancio in Sambuca di Sicilia in southwestern Sicily. The uncontaminated area is perfect for viticulture and has many ancient vineyards. Lake Arancio, with its crystal-clear water, creates a perfect microclimate for grapes. The vines are planted at 400 metres above sea level on clay soils with good water retention capacity, which helps to sustain the vines through the hot Sicilian summers.

The 2022 vintage was characterised by a cool, dry winter and a warm early spring with good flowering and fruit set. The summer months saw very high temperatures and a drought which lasted 40 days, increasing the risk of grape ‘sunburn'. Because of this, producers had to find solutions to limit the damages such as shading measures and relief irrigation. The parcels closest to the forest or at higher altitudes, were still able to retain their freshness. The rain finally arrived in late July, enabling harvest time to align with the average period.

Immediately upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were pressed and underwent a long maceration on the skins. Fermentation was carried out on the skins, in stainless steel vats at 26°C with regular pump overs carried out three times per day. The wine was kept in stainless steel vats until the end of the malolactic fermentation, which took place at 20 degrees. The wine was transferred into new French oak barrels, where it was aged for four to six months prior to bottling.