Frank Cornelissen, Munjebel Terre Siciliane Rosso 2022

Variety: Nerello Mascalese Like many before him, Frank Cornelissen fell in love with wine in a romantic fashion. After getting his hands on the coveted DRC, he was naturally committed. After tasting and talking with others in the industry for about 20 years, he began to question the side of wine in a philosophical way. His quest led him to Sicily, where he began to farm in the northern slopes of Mt. Etna, the active volcano. He began to make wine of culture with an approach natural in character. His vines are unlike others in the area as they aren’t planted to high density; instead he has interplanted several forms of vegetation, including fruit trees and buckwheat, allowing the vines to thrive in a polycultural way. The expanse of his love for Etna is reflected in his estate wines, the single vineyard wines, and olive oils. The wines are extremely difficult to come by as they’re allocated; everyone wants these! This cuvee blends grapes from multiple different parcels across his 19 hectare total holdings. Meant to embody Mt. Etna at its drinkable best this wine comes from grapes harvested from 50+ year old vines. After hand harvest the wine is destemmed and lightly crushed before seeing 50 days on the skin. The juice is then aged in large epoxy tanks for ~ 12 months.