Showing lots of varietal character, the 2021 Il Frappato reveals dusty red stone, wild berry and a hint of sweet apricot. The wine is firm and tense, yet it also manages an absolutely weightless approach that makes it so easy and fun to drink. It embraces a contemporary style that would pair with the healthy foods we want to eat today, with lots of vegetables and white meats.

With a red wax capsule, the Arianna Occhipinti 2020 Il Frappato shows sweet rose and wild strawberry over medium-weight texture. There is a mildly spicy component with cumin and a hint of powdery cinnamon. The wine finishes on a very fresh note with pressed rose and violet. Some 15,000 bottles were made.

The Arianna Occhipinti 2018 Il Frappato is a little tight and shy to start, but the wine slowly reveals the cassis and sour cherry aromas that come so naturally to Frappato. The wine is punchy and especially bright, with a silky and streamlined texture that makes it a good pairing partner to white meats or even a baked fish. Il Frappato delivers a level of varietal purity that is quite special (with 14 months of aging in Slavonian oak casks). Production is 35,000 bottles.

The 2017 Il Frappato is a beautiful expression of the grape that shows grace and an almost fragile disposition. This is a lean to mid-weight red wine with a bright bouquet that veers toward red berries and wild rose. The effect is balanced and elegant in a manner that few red wines from Sicily can achieve, making it a nice pairing for a Sicilian lentil soup and some freshly baked bread. The wine shows the color and the floral aromas of a Pinot Nero, backed by the power of the warm Sicilian climate. Some 35,000 bottles were produced.

The 2016 Il Frappato is another surprise hit from a vintage that was not easy generally speaking. This wine is chiseled and focused, showing a pretty mineral note that is carried forth from start to finish. The wine is delicate and finessed with small berry nuances, dried blackberry, cherry and pencil shaving. This is an elegant and graceful red wine from Sicily.