Holiday Countdown 2024 (DAY 8) - 2023 Lamoresca 'Nerocapitano' Terre Siciliane Frappato

Holiday Countdown 2024 (DAY 8) - 2023 Lamoresca 'Nerocapitano' Terre Siciliane Frappato
These are the top wines that stood out among the thousands of wines I tasted this year. Some are always in stock, some are rare and hard to find, but all of them are sure to fill you with joy this Holiday Season.   
DAY 8:    
Recently, a long time friend and fellow wine pro (he curates private cellars), posed an interesting anecdote via text. He sent a picture of two glasses of red wine, both luminous, detailed and bright, whose sparkle and translucence seemed to leap out of the photo. Without revealing what wines they were, he noted these are the types of wines he loves to drink, asking if I had any recommendations for others in a similar style. My mind immediately went to today's wine. 

A Frappato grown in its' native soils of Sicily, whose fragrant combination of red fruit, florals, and minerals are other-worldly. It possesses a combination of delicacy, elegance and purity reminiscent of the finest Beaujolais, but with a punch of acidity and earthiness that's squarely Italian.

If you seek, as my friend does, a wine packed with freshness, beauty and fresh, mouthwatering flavors, look no further than today's wine. I'll be drinking it throughout this holiday season.   
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100% Frappato ('Nerocapitano' is the variety's local name) grown on limestone and clay soils at 1400ft above sea level. Hand harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in concrete through the winter. The wine is racked three times before bottling to stimulate its soaring aromatics.  

Easily one of the prettiest reds I've had all year, the nose is brilliant, with high-toned aromas of red cherries, pomegranate juice, wildflowers, savory herbs and blood orange. Gossamer as any red can be, the palate is spotless, matching the red fruit aromatics with lavender, rose, and a touch of damp earth. Svelte tannins harness the bright freshness and leads the wine to a long, white pepper tinged finish. I love it with a slight chill in a BIG GLASS.
Filippo Rizzo makes 'true wine'. That is how he refers to the wines of Lamoresca, his one love besides his wife and partner Nancy. What does this concept mean to him? For Filippo, it's a matter of working and caring for his vines not just as a monoculture, but as a living farm and an extension of his home. The vines total five hectares and are up to 60 years old, planted over a mix of sand and clay at an elevation of 430 metres above sea level. There are rather dramatic differences in temperature between day and night, a real boon in this typically Mediterranean climate. 

He learned about low-impact farming while working with friend and fellow winemaker Frank Cornelissen, making wine high on the slopes of Mt. Etna. However, Lamoresca shines beyond just its' vineyards as the techniques utilized by Filippo (modern, natural wine making) are what define his wines, conveying more than an expression of terroir or climate but also precision and care.
2023 Lamoresca 'Nerocapitano' Frappato - $36.99

*SPECIAL NEWSLETTER PRICE - $34.99

To order, reply directly to this email or call me at 843.576.4845
Justin Coleman
Proprietor
Monarch Wine Merchants
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