THE INSIDE WORD
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Out in Sicily’s rugged inland, far from the coastal wine routes, sits the small farming town of San Michele di Ganzaria—better known for wheat fields and prickly pears than wine. It’s here that Filippo Rizzo and his partner Nancy cultivate Lamoresca, a tiny, highly revered estate that has become one of Sicily’s most talked-about cult producers. Production is small. Farming is meticulous. The bottles highly sought-after. Hard to find, and even harder to forget.
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CULT STATUS
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A different picture of Sicily emerges here—one rooted in small farming, biodiversity and local grapes like Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Vermentino. In the cellar, the approach is deliberately hands-off—wild fermentations, no temperature control, minimal sulphur and little manipulation. The result is unmistakably Sicilian. And for all their serious structure and complexity, these wines are undeniably smashable.
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ROSATO 2024
$59.00
Big swingers out of Sicily with fancy labels, this is hip for a reason. It’s as smashable as they come, organically farmed and seriously good winemaking from Filippo and Nancy Rizzo. Rosato of substance and intrigue. Layered and balanced from fresh summer berries, to sweet spices and plush tannins. The mineralogy and acid sets it apart. Zing.
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NEROCAPITANO FRAPPATO 2023
$54.00
From the sun-drenched Italian isle of Sicily comes this lovely wine from the Lamoresca estate. Nerocapitano is the local name for a variety that we have expressed our love for before - Frappato (FRAP-ah-toe). Detailed wild cherry and dark fruit notes; earthy and spicy with a gorgeous texture and bright, slinky line across the palate. We love this wine's sense of space and breezy demeanour on the palate. It’s just lovely drinking.
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NERO D'AVOLA 2022
$75.00
Buongiourno from the dark side. This iteration of the black grape of Avola is grown at around 550m above sea level in Sicily’s Catania region. Filippo Rizzo put his Nero through two months on skins, a year’s neutral maturation, and two years in bottle before release. We’re frothing its fresh cherry, foraged raspberry and orange zest, sweet spice, soft leather and savoury herb.
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BIANCO VERMENTINO 2024
$79.00
A Sicilian native, Filippo Rizzos’s lo-fi Vermentino from the Gigliotto vineyard is a testament to simple handling for extraordinary results. Young vines from a 430m altitude deliver fruit with character, left on skins for a few days before six months in an older 3000L barrel. Lush and mouth-filling, citrus and honey meet stone fruit and a zippy minerality for an Italian with gusto. Super limited.
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ROSSO FRAPPATO / NERO D'AVOLA 2022
$60.00
Filippo Rizzos five organic hectares of rolling Sicilian hills is the stuff of dreams, producing this transporting red blend. Nine months of élevage in concrete lifts big, expressive fruit dotted with wild herbs and softer tannin. Dive into its ominously deep, black blue depths to your heart’s content, but beware; it packs a bodily punch that’s super clean on the palate, but damaging to soft furnishings.
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| Pierre Morey - Monthelie Rouge Pinot Noir 2021 |
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| Yarra Yering - Blanc de Blancs Vintage Sparkling 2017 |
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| Serragghia di Giotto & Gabrio Bini - Fanino Pignatello / Catarratto 2021 |
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| Frank Cornelissen - Munjebel CS Nerello Mascalese 2020 |
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| Frank Cornelissen - Munjebel Rosso Nerello Mascalese 2022 |
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| Ar.Pe.Pe - Valtellina Superior Sassella Riserva Ultimi Raggi Nebbiolo 2016 |
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| Hervé Souhaut - Syrah 2024 |
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| Yarra Yering - Vintage Cuvée Sparkling 2018 |
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LIMITED ALLOCATION
LITTORAI
Farmed with restraint and guided by nature, the wines are always in search of vineyard expression. A lineup that has become a modern benchmark for the region. Only four wines, all worth your while.
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