A tiny, experimental bottling from just a couple of amphora, Cagnolo is Davide's latest addition to the Bbirbiciù range. From a small planting of Nero d'Avola and Merlot, two grapes that are not as common on the island, the wine nevertheless oozes the Mediterranean charm of Sicily itself, with that rugged, incomparable Pantellerian leaning.
Aromas of juicy blackcurrant flecked with dry pantry herbs draws you in, with finer details of earthy spices and that hard-to-define quality of the scents of the hot earth after the sun has set - so evocative of place. Tannins have the classic granualar feel associated with this producer and there is a lovely balance between deep, long-season ripening, with a welcome freshness and bite to the fruit. Crushed violet petals float in the mix, as well as the green char of blistered green bell pepper, tailing into black liquorice bitters in the finish. We landed just a few cases of this beautiful wine.
Established in 2020, Bbirbiciù is the project of a young group of conscientious growers, led by Davide Genovese, who are looking deep into the past for their inspiration. Based on the remote, windswept volcanic island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily (in fact closer to Tunisia), the group are seeking to revive and preserve the ancient ways of the vignaioli of old, both in the respectful way the vines are tended and the hands-off methods used to vinify the fruit in the cantina.
Their 3.5 hectare surface sits between 2-300m altitude on the plain of Bukkuram, the land that rolls off the base of Montagna Grande in the center of the island; historically the most fertile and productive agricultural land to be found here. 80% of the planting is Zibibbo, the highly aromatic Sicilian strain of Muscat of Alexandria, with the remaining 20% given over to Catarratto and Pignatello. They are all head-trained bush vines at around 60 years old; a traditional method of viticulture that, paired with the cover provided by the shadow of the mountain, protects from the year-round bluster of the Sirocco wind and the blistering heat of the Mediterranean sun. They sit over deep, mineral-rich volcanic soils made up of sandy, decomposed lava rock, known locally as ‘soki soki’. This land has never seen chemical herbicides or pesticides; in the past it was farmed organically, now Davide has begun to introduce biodynamic principles and even treatment of copper is only deployed when absolutely necessary.
Vinifications take place completely in amphora; a series of these clay vessels sized between 320-1600 litres are buried in a 40 square meter ‘amphoraia’ amongst the vines. The grapes are de-stemmed and, channeling the heat of the earth, conditions are correct to cause a spontaneous fermentation within these sealed pots, where the resulting wine sits in contact with the skins for between 6 and 8 months. The wines are then racked and bottled in the spring with no additions at all.
The results are wild, vivid expressions that offer unique taste of both a land and time far, far away. Heady with musky aromatics of wild herbs, spice and salty ocean surf, complex and multilayered in texture and with an irresistible vitality. When we talk about that elusive ‘sense of place’ in wine it is hard to think of a better example; Bbirbiciù is all about the translation of this singular landscape, intervening only as much as is required to capture its essence and put it in the glass.
