Aldo Viola Brutto Vino Frizzante 2022

Aldo Viola is a fourth-generation winemaker from Alcamo, Sicily. His pure Catarratto “pét-nat” comes from his iron-rich limestone slopes in northwest Sicily. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented spontaneously, after which it macerates on its skins for eight to nine months. The wine then undergoes a second fermentation in bottle without the removal of lees or the addition of sulfur. 

The resulting brew offers striking varietal purity, showcasing Catarratto’s apricot-and-peach lusciousness with an alluring smoky undercurrent. Despite all of the skin contact and natural winemaking practices, this is a clean, crisp pét-nat with notes of lemon and melon on the nose with a hint of toasty brioche. “Brutto” is controlled and balanced without being polite, and it’s of a piece with his still wines in its combination of effortless complexity and arresting purity of fruit. Bubbles are controlled rather than foamy, and it has great persistence for such a straightforwardly produced wine.

There are but 150 cases for the United States to be had of this vivacious sparkler!