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I sat down to write this email about one of my all-time favorite rosatos (rosé, rosado, etc.) and briefly looked back at previous praiseworthy penmanship from the Chambers Street Wines archives. Lo and behold, I discovered a most eloquent passage about the wine from our esteemed former colleague, Andy Paynter. Finding myself at loss for words, I realized there was nothing I could add to his succinct and spot-on paragraph. It reminded me of the time I listened to Alicia de Larrocha playing Albéniz on piano before I tried to stumble slowly through 'Jerez' from the Iberia Suite. How could I possibly ever top that ?! So, without further ado, here is Andy's write up on the Bonavita Rosato from Sicily!
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"In New York these days nothing presages the arrival of Summer quite as much as the wave of rosés that land in the city, filling wine lists to the brim, and packing the shelves at Chambers Street. One bottle in particular that I look forward to every year is Bonavita's Rosato from Faro in Sicily. Winemaker Giovanni Scarfone farms his 2.5 hectares of vines organically with fava beans planted between the rows, green manure, and only low doses of copper and sulphur used when necessary. His family farm has been operational for generations, but Giovanni has only been selling wine to the public since 2006. The wine is made from the familiar blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio with the addition of a lesser known variety indigenous to the area called Nocera. An ancient variety that is particularly adapted to Sicily's warm and dry climate, Nocera is able to maintain acidity late into the growing season, developing ripe cherry fruit without veering towards jammy or cloying sensations. Fermented with indigenous yeast, the wine sees a quick 12-hour maceration, fermentation in steel, and 6 months rest in tank before being bottled. The result is a rosato with a deep, copper-hued ruby color, rich texture, crisp acidity, with a spicy perfume, fresh fruit on the palate, and a very mineral finish. The main reason that I crave this rosato over many other wonderful wines is the vast array of foods that it compliments so well: charred kebabs, lamb burgers, green salads with fresh fruit, soft goat or sheep's cheese, tuna steaks, persian rice dishes with herbs and saffron, or lightly spiced Indian food. The list really is endless, but unfortunately the wine is not!" - Andy Paynter
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We tasted the 2022 vintage last week and were thoroughly delighted with the bottling. Well worth putting down for 1-3 years, it's quite together now and ready for all of the tasty foods that Andy so accurately and tantalizingly described.
-Eben Lillie
Wine arrives on Monday, July 3rd. Delivery in Manhattan and Brooklyn available for Tuesday, July 4th or anytime after!
Bonavita 2022 Terre Siciliane Rosato
This is one of our favorite Rosatos which we look forward to every year. It's from Faro in Sicily - north of Etna, in fact almost at the very north-east tip of Sicily, in a spectacular vineyard above the sea. Because it's the same grapes as Etna (Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, + the local Noccera) you get some of the same sensations, but Faro has much sandier soils, and the wine is more fruit-forward, strong on cranberry and raspberry. Fairly dark in color, this is incredibly adaptable with food - no shy, watery Provencal wannabe, but with real depth, and so easy drinking, with gravitas. The 2022 vintage is perfectly balanced, with crisp acidity, lovely concentration of red fruits without even the suggestion of "fruitiness." Ready for all of your Summer meals! ***Wine arrives on Monday, July 3rd. Delivery in Manhattan and Brooklyn available for Tuesday, July 4th or anytime after!