Cerruti Sol Passito 2017

A simply remarkable passito that ranks as one of Italy’s best. When Ezio’s Moscato grapes are fully ripe, he cuts the shoot connecting the bunches to the vine, leaving the fruit to wither, dangling in the autumn sunshine for a couple of months. The grapes are then pressed immediately and transferred to old barrels, where they rest for four years. Ezio’s patience in both the vineyard and cellar yields a wine of unusual complexity. From a cooler year, this is incredibly energetic, with pristine fruit tempered by vibrant acidity, saltiness, and spice.  

Ezio Cerruti has six hectares of vines surrounding his home in the commune of Castiglione Tinella, about halfway between Asti and the Langhe. He is one of the kindest, gentlest people, a man happiest growing grapes, making wine, and doing things the right way. Principally working with just one grape, Moscato, he loves to show it in every possible guise.  

The vines, up to seventy-five years old, are planted on steep limestone slopes around four hundred meters above sea level. Unusually for the area, he has farmed organically from the outset, with trees and wildflowers growing between the rows, offering encouragement in a region where conventional farming and monoculture are the norm.  

In the cantina, he exercises a gentle touch and, in the case of his remarkable passito, Sol, great patience. Whether sparkling or still, dry or sweet, every bottle from Ezio offers an uplifting wine of real harmony, where fruit, flowers, salt, and spice intertwine.