Alcesti Acasto Frappato Terre Siciliane, 2023

Grapes

Frappato

Vintage report

Sicily in 2023 was shaped by an early, warm spring that accelerated the growing cycle, followed by a summer that brought intense heat and drought across much of the island. Growers who managed water stress carefully — through canopy management, older vine reserves, and early picking decisions — came out well. Those who didn't found concentration tipping into coarseness. The harvest came in ahead of the historical average, and the wines it produced are generous and sun-drenched without being heavy: ripe tannins on the reds, good grip on the whites.

Nero d'Avola performed particularly well, delivering wines with real fruit depth and structure that doesn't feel forced. Nerello Mascalese on Etna, where altitude tempered the heat, produced precise, mineral-driven reds with the kind of freshness that the variety needs to be interesting. Grillo and Carricante among the whites are vivid and textured. Most reds will drink well now until 2028 or so, with the better Etna bottlings comfortably holding until 2030 and beyond.