Grown on dolomitic limestone and travertine (sedimentary calcite) soils between 1300 and 1500 feet in elevation, this Passerina has a rich, thirst-quenching style with a brisk, citrus-y, and Pellegrino-esque mineral-y nature. This wine is light on its feet, yet has a Chablis-like character, bolting from the gate with lip-smacking acidity and a salty underpinning. It offers a generous range of ripe nectarine, pineapple, and passionfruit flavors, plus accents of pickled ginger, orange zest, and a dusty mineral rich finish.
We love it! - Keith
An extremely old school Italian white done in a very traditional style. A blend of Passerina and Malvasia Puntinata grapes, grown on white clay and white, chalky soils.
The Pileum estate, located in Lazio, (just south of Rome), uses an ancient style of trellising. The trellis forms a square growing area, and shades the grapes and the surrounding ground from the blistering Mediterranean sun. Tendone (trellising in Italian), means "big tent" and it is the same method of trellis that has been used here since the Greek and Roman times. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Passerina grapes are named from 'Passera/Passero', which is the Italian word for 'sparrow', the bird known to Italian vine-growers for its voracious appetite for ripe Passerina grapes. The Italian '-ina' suffix indicates the relatively small size of the grapes (and the accompanying bird).