2016 Firriato - Ribeca Perricone (750ml)

Firriato was founded in the early 1980s by Salvatore and Vinzia Di Gaetano in the countryside around Trapani, in western Sicily, and has since grown into one of the island's leading quality producers. Over the decades the family expanded beyond their original estate to vineyards on Mount Etna and the island of Favignana, farming all of their holdings under organic certification. Today the winery is guided by the next generation, daughter Irene Di Gaetano and her husband Federico Lombardo di Monte Iato, continuing the family's focus on native Sicilian grape varieties.

Ribeca is made entirely from Perricone, an ancient variety nearly lost to history that Firriato worked for decades to revive, developing its own clone suited to the dry, windswept conditions of the Pianoro Cuddìa estate near Trapani. The grapes are harvested by hand in late September and early October, then fermented in temperature-controlled steel tanks before completing malolactic fermentation. The wine ages roughly ten to twelve months in French oak barriques, followed by further refinement in the bottle.

The result is a deep, purplish ruby red with an intense bouquet of blackberry, plum, and morello cherry, layered with licorice, ginger, clove, and juniper berry. Firm, well-balanced tannins give it structure and real aging potential. It suits grilled lamb, wild boar ragù, and aged pecorino.