Tenuta Boccarossa: All roads lead (back) to Mt Etna

In a prior discussion of winemaking on Mt Etna, I characterized the environment as "a patchwork of identities and experiences ... directly correlated to the origins of the parties." The chart below summarizes the owner origins that I have detected to date, along with representative markers in each space. The subject of today's post, Tenuta Boccarossa, currently helmed by Michele Calabretta and his wife Claudia, is shown as being positioned in the Comeback Kid category. I will explore that positioning in this post as well as the current standing of the winery and its wines.

Claudia and Michele

First, lets trace the familial steps along the Mt Etna vinous road. The charts below illustrate the early Calabretta history on Mt Etna and the point of vinous departure of two major branches of the family tree. Our focus in this post follows the path taken by the patriarch's son Michele. Michele took over the winery and set up the local distillery once Gaetano left center stage.

Agriculture on Mt Etna took a dive in the early 1970s, leading to the family giving away all of its land. Gaetano (father of the current operator) tried to maintain the remaining structures but his only association with the old ways eventually was confined "hobbydom" as he turned his focus to being a High School Physiscs teacher.

With Gaetano's move to teaching, the vinous link had been broken on this side of the family tree. Michele extended that fissure by studying engineering at University and then leaving Sicily to work for Ferrari and then Lamborghini. While employed at the latter, he made a number of trips to Germany where he met his future wife, Claudia. At the time she was completing her doctorate in International Copyright Law.

They discussed the family tradition and the possibility of making wine on the volcano.  They made an experimental wine on Etna in 2010 and in 2011 Michele moved back to Sicily to take a position with a Catania-based automotive microelectronics producer. This move opened the door to making their dream a reality.

The first step was the purchase of a 1-ha Nerello Mascalese vineyard. In 2018, they made their first commercial wine under the Boccarossa label. This 600-bottle run was produced and aged in rented cellar space and sold to local restaurants.

From that initial purchase, Boccarossa holdings have grown to 10 ha, 7 of which are organically farmed vineyards. The distribution of holdings are illustrated in the chart below.

The Boccarossa philosophy, as regards winemaking, is as follows:

Wine is the product of good work done in the vineyard with minimal processing in the vineyard, and with the aim of expressing in each wine, in the best possible way, the characteristics of the grape, the articulated environment and its specific microclimate.

Towards that end, only eco-compatible products are used in the vineyard and all work done therein (pruning, weeding, hoeing, harvesting) is done by hand. Michele is assisted in these efforts by his dad Gaetano. Some of the fruit grown on the estate are sold to other producers.

Michele and Gaetano

While the vineyards are certified organic, the cellar operations are not. The winery is currently working towards gaining such certification. Boccarossa wines are made under the direction of the oenologist Alessandro Biancolin.

The estate currently produces two red wines (Etna rosso, Terre Siciliana) and one white (Etna bianco). Brandon and I tasted these wines during our visit with the family. 

Michele at one of the ViniMilo2024 events

The 2022 growing season was hot. The Carricante grapes for the Etna bianco were handpicked, pressed (pneumatic press), and then fermented (selected yeasts -- pied a cuvée) in stainless steel. The wine was aged in stainless steel for 7 months and then bottled.

On the nose, hint of white flowers, tropical fruit, minerality, green herbs, and salinity. High acid level on the palate, citrus, green and dried herbs, black pepper, and a long cupric finish.

The 2022 Etna rosso showed mint, red fruit, balsamic, green herbs, and forest floor on the nose. Sour cherry, green herbs, and great persistence on the palate. A certain richness. Textured. Mineral with a slight bitterness. I liked this wine.

Michele characterizes 2021 DiRampanti as having greater density than the Etna rosso. Balsamic on the nose along with petrol, mint, spice, and ripe fruit. Complex and layered. Aromas arrived in waves.

The nose  carries through to the palate. Broad-based with fine tannins. Pepper on finish along with long, rich creaminess. 

According to a subsequent communication with Michele, this wine will be renamed DiRompente from the 2022 vintage on “… because it breaks all concepts” in terms of altitude, very old wines, and very few bottles.

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While the Calbretta family has historically been associated with Passopisciaro on the north slope, Gaetano's wife's family is from Milo and he ended up living in that comune. Michele and his family also currently live in Milo and the Boccarossa entity owns 6000 m of land there. While Boccarossa makes an Etna bianco from grapes grown on the north slope, they understand the importance of having a winemaking presence in Milo; and fully intend to accomplish that.

It was very pleasing to have spent some time with Michele, Claudia, and Gaetano during my time in Milo (Brandon and I spent an entire morning walking with Gaetano in the mountain around the commune and he is a fount of information on the history of lava flows thereon.) and to see the dedication and passion with which they are approaching this project. In my estimation, the red wines are of especial quality while the white wine has some ground to make up.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme