Elsa - 2019
Lamoresca
- Region
- Italy 禄 Sicilia 禄 IGP Terre Siciliane
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Lamoresca
- Vintage
- 2019
- Grapes
- Nerello Mascalese, Frappato, Nero d'Avola
- Alcohol
- 14
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
Elsa is a blend of Nerello Mascalese, Frappato, and Nero d'Avola. The vines grow at 430 meters above sea level in sand, clay, and silex soil. Using both vertical trellis and bush-vine systems, the vineyards have a plant density of 4,500 plants per hectare for the trellis system and 7,000 plants for the bush-vine. The grapes are harvested manually from early September to mid-October, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and undergo long maceration on the skins. The wine is aged for 12 months in concrete tanks and then for 2 years in the bottle.
Ratings
A bit confusing wine. Despite its good qualities, it felt like it was missing something, making it unmemorable. However, it has a nice bouquet of dark fruits, prunes, cigars, and liquorice. Juicy, delicious, and decently balanced, though with slightly pushy ethanol and tannins. Aeration helps significantly. Cough-syrup-like finish, which is nice.
I still want to try their 100% Frappato!
Lamoresca
The agricultural farm "Lamoresca" is situated in the heart of Sicily, in the small town of San Michele di Ganzaria, in the "Gigliotto" district. The farm began in 2000 with its first piece of land, an olive grove with 46 ancient olive trees of the local "Moresca" variety, hence the name "Lamoresca." Today, Lamoresca cultivates 25 hectares of vines, olive trees, prickly pears, and other fruit trees, all located in the hills at an altitude of 430 meters above sea level. The soil here is a mix of sandstone, clay, and silex, and the region benefits from a typical Mediterranean climate: very warm and dry in the summer, with minimal rainfall.
Everything at Lamoresca is cultivated organically, with great respect for nature. The fields are surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and wild herbs, fostering a biodiversity that includes various animals and insects, even porcupines. This biodiversity is crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
Filippo Rizzo and his wife Nancy met many years ago while Filippo owned a small restaurant in Belgium. At that time, Filippo was among the first to talk about and serve natural wines outside of Paris. His family had ties to Sicily, and he was passionate about preserving the land and making additive-free wine. After years in the restaurant and retail business, Filippo decided to become a winemaker, purchasing an 11-hectare farm, with 4 hectares under vine. Filippo and Nancy built Lamoresca from the ground up, reviving old olive groves and vines. Filippo also spent several vintages with fellow winemaker Frank Cornelissen on the slopes of Mt. Etna. Lamoresca is the only winery within roughly a 50 square kilometre area, and Filippo, along with his farmhand Gaetano, works the land entirely by hand.
The old vines owned by Lamoresca include Nero d'Avola, Grenache, and Nerocapitano (Frappato) for the reds, and the extremely rare Vermentino Corso and some Roussanne for the whites. The wines are naturally fermented without temperature control, and minimal sulfur is used only if absolutely necessary.