Frank Cornelissen Munjebel VA Terre Siciliane Rosso 2022

Frank Cornelissen Munjebel VA Terre Siciliane Rosso 2020

Frank Cornelissen
$95.00

Grape: Nerello Mascalese
Vintage: 2020
Type: Red

This high-altitude red wine is a blend of old, ungrafted nerello mascalese vines from three elevated valley parcels. Frank Cornelissen harvests the fruit from the Tartaraci, Rampante, and Barbabecchi vineyards situated on the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The vines grow directly into rocky basalt soils, forcing the roots deep and locking in high natural acidity. The winemaking relies entirely on spontaneous native fermentation, completely avoiding wood barrel components or added sulfur.

It exhibits a translucent ruby hue, releasing a perfumed nose of wild raspberry, cranberry, and fresh violet petals. On the palate, a medium-bodied frame shows an elegant fluidity, pairing crunchy red fruit with a distinct mineral tension. Fine-grained, chalky tannins provide a subtle structural grip across the mid-palate without feeling heavy. A clean wave of mountain acidity cuts through the texture, maintaining great freshness. It concludes bone-dry, leaving a Burgundian trace.

Winery

Frank Cornelissen is a renowned natural winemaker known for his uncompromising, minimal-intervention approach to winemaking. A native of Belgium, Cornelissen established his estate in 2001 with the goal of producing authentic, terroir-driven wines. His wines have since achieved cult status among natural wine enthusiasts. Cornelissen follows a "naturalistic" philosophy, aiming to make wines with no additives, including commercial yeasts or sulfur dioxide. He works with ungrafted, indigenous grape varieties like Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, and Grecanico. Grapes are hand-harvested, and fermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts. The wines are aged in neutral vessels such as fiberglass tanks and epoxy-coated terracotta amphorae, avoiding the use of wood to allow the terroir to shine through.