Deep ruby color; blackberry, sour cherry, plum, raspberry, oak, espresso, balsamic, chocolate, vanilla, pipe tobacco, vanilla, white pepper, juniper on the nose and palate.
Dry; significant tannins, consider decanting. Excellent balancing acidity (3.19 pH). Full body. There is an intriguing interplay of rusticity, driven by the tannins and forest floor notes, and elegance. Vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel; malolactic fermentation in tank. Wine matured for up to a year in French barriques. Twenty months aging in bottle followed before release. 14.5% ABV
Firriato, located in the rustic countryside outside Trapani, Sicily, has long been advocate for relaunching Sicily’s ancient vines. Perricone, also known as pignatello, primarily is grown in the western part of the island, mainly in the provinces of Trapani and Palermo. Firriato has developed its own clone of this relic grape. Its history dates back to Greek colonization in the 8th century BC. It once was a major contributor to Marsala wine. The intensity of its tannins and assertive fruits mean it needs to spend time in oak and then time in bottle to present best. At eight years old, this wine is just entering its prime drinking stage.
The winery takes its name from the rural culture of western Sicily. The term refers to the close area around the main house. In Italian the term means “enclosed.” The website notes: “The classical notion nomen est omen, that is the theory that a name can have a significant role in determining key aspects of something or someone, has proved right once more, because the FIRRIATO wine production takes inspiration from the French term clos and Piedmont term girato. Behind a great wine there is always a great wine-producing territory with characteristic soil and climate conditions. All of Firriato’s agricultural estates have a distinguishing feature connected with the exposure, microclimate, soil composition or ventilation. Each one expresses its own identity. This diversity is an asset that must be protected and enhanced from soil to bottle.”
Firriato Ribeca Perricone, Sicilia DOC 2016 is made from ancient grape grown in Sicily for almost 3,000 years but largely forgotten—certainly as a varietal—until Firriato developed it beginning in the 1980s. Powerful, full-flavored. Rustic and elegant at the same time. A very impressive effort. Pair with roasted, braised, grilled meats, especially well-marbled cuts where the perricone tannins can do their thing; fennel-stuffed pork; pasta dishes—Italian food in general; lamb; veal; wild boar; Indian curry; tuna; comfort foods—burgers, meatloaf, mac and cheese, pizza. Cheese—mature cheeses; pecorino, parmigiano, manchego, cheddar. $45
