Bonavita

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Country of Origin: Italy
Location: Faro
People: Giovanni Scarfone & Sanny Occhino, Owners | Giovanni Scarfone, Winemaker
Viticulture: Practicing Organic

Items

Bonavita 2023 Rosato, Terre Siciliane IGP Login AG 92 In Stock
Bonavita 2021 Rosso, Faro DOC Login — In Stock

Northeast of Mt. Etna, towards the Strait of Messina, is a wine region called Faro. There are currently (as of 2014) only five wine producers in Faro. Giovanni Scarfone is the winemaker and owner of Bonavita. Bonavita's vineyard parcels are located on the family's small, organic farm, which sits on top a large hill above the town Faro. Wind influence from the Strait of Messina protects the grapes during the summer heat. The oldest estate vines are 80 years old, and the youngest are 10 years old. The farm has been in the Scarfone family for generations. Today, Giovanni tends to the vineyards, the chickens, and the other vegetables on the farm.

Lower down on the hill is Giovanni's wine cellar: the garage of his parent's home. 2006 was his first commercial vintage for Bonavita. Until then, only the family consumed the wine produced at Bonavita.

Faro is similar to Etna Rosso in that both appellations contain Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio, and both are in north-eastern Sicily. Faro is different from Etna in that it also contains the grape Nocera, for added acidity; it is grown at lower altitude, 800 feet above sea level compared with as much as 2,600 feet or more for Etna; and the soil is limestone and clay, rather than the granular lava of Etna.

Reviews

  • Bonavita 2023 Rosato, Terre Siciliane IGP
    Vinous
    Rating: 92 (5/21/2024)

    A translucent ruby, the 2023 Rosato entices with a more savory blend of rose petals, wild blueberries and smoky crushed stone. It's spry and lifted, with crisp minerality front and center. Ripe wild berry fruits flow across the palate, guided by a core of brisk acidity. A tart cranberry concentration forces the mouth to water as this finishes long yet incredibly fresh. Sour melon and tangerine hints slowly fizzle out. A mixture of depth, complexity and unbridled energy makes the 2023 impossible to ignore.