Giuseppe Cipolla Passofonduto Bianco sul Gresso 2022
2022 was a beautiful harvest for Giuseppe, with ideal climatic conditions, but a challenging year nonetheless as he doubled production to around 14,000 bottles (still well within the artisanal/grower category.) That included adding on the ‘Bianco sul Gesso’ cuvee, albeit in teeny tiny numbers. Here in the west of Sicily, where the soil is barren and full of limestone, the Sicilian white wine varieties Cataratto, Inzolia, and Zibibbo (Moscato d’Alexandria) grow extremely well. The vines for this wine were grafted in situ in Contrada Passofonduto, the winery’s flagship vineyard, which has a perfect orientation and is cared for by Giuseppe with particular dedication and effort. The climate and chalky, gypsum-rich soils give the grapes strength, but also coolness and acidity –– in particular bringing out salty and elegant notes on the palate, creating more powerful and distinctly identified wines compared to his ‘Solfare’ Bianco. Grapes are destemmed and directly pressed very gently so that no bitter substances get into the wine; the juice then ferments and ages in tonneaux. The result is a wine reminiscent of tropical fruits without being too perfumed, a sea breeze full of salty air and freshly mown grass. White grapefruit, candied pineapple, and peach skin bitters wrap around a rocky, mineral core. This is Giuseppe's premium white wine, full of depth, spice, and a lot of passion. Only 5 cases imported to California.
The Passofonduto property is located north of Agrigento, around 25 kilometers from the southern coast of central Sicily, right on the edge of the province of Caltanisetta. This is a landscape of steep outcrops that was once a rich source of salt and sulfur, and though the mines are now closed, the richness of these minerals is evident in the soils all around, making it a very unique area to cultivate vines. It is here that in 2015 Giuseppe Cipolla began planting vines on a plot of land that his family cultivated mainly for other crops like grains, olives, fruits and legumes. Initially working with two other plots of grapes that were already established in nearby communes, he began the search for his ideal expression of terroir through wine in this oft-overlooked corner of Sicily. Giuseppe has planted Nero d’Avola and Nerello Mascalese for his reds; Grillo, Zibbibo, and Catarratto for whites. The work is hard, but a labor of love and quality for Giuseppe, who has been reconstructing old stone terraces on the property by hand for future plantings.
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).
Shipping Policy
Due to the restrictions of many state laws, we only ship wine to those states where direct shipment from a retailer is permitted by law; currently we ship to AK, CA, DC, ID, LA, MO, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OR, VA, WV and WY. This list is subject to change without notice. In addition, each state imposes limitations on the amount of wine any particular resident may receive by direct shipment. To ensure that you are able to order wine for direct shipment from our website, please consult the specific state requirements for your state.
Please note that all orders must be placed by persons who are at least 21 years old, and that age verification will be required upon receipt of your wine. No wine will be delivered to obviously intoxicated persons and any person unable to provide age verification will forfeit their right to receive the shipment until identification is produced. In such circumstances, the order may either be held in storage at a local depot of the shipping company until appropriate identification is produced, or shipped back to the winery. All associated costs will be the responsibility of and be charged to the customer.
Title to, and ownership of, all wine passes from Biondivino to the purchaser in the State of California and the purchaser takes all responsibility for shipping it from California to his/her home state. By arranging for transportation of the wine, Biondivino is providing a service to, and acting on behalf of the purchaser. By utilizing this service from Biondivino, purchaser is representing that he/she is acting in compliance with his/her local and state laws regarding the purchase, transportation and delivery of wine. The purchaser represents that he/she has obtained any required permission, paid any required fees, is working through properly licensed intermediaries where required, is legally entitled to take possession of wine and is legally entitled to take quantities ordered.
You will be charged the applicable sales tax, if any, assessed by your state for any shipment that Biondivino makes; otherwise California sales tax will be assessed on the sale. Shipping and handling costs are not included in the cost and will appear in the shopping cart before you complete your transaction. The carrier and service speed may vary by state and time of year, and Biondivino cannot take responsibility for the condition of any wine shipped by Ground.
Some of our products are sold on a "pre-arrival" or "futures" basis. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our Website and newsletter. Biondivino will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).