The 2013 “Mandragola” has a highly concentrated, dark ruby core with a touch of garnet and orange reflections on the rim. The nose is quite earthy with slight fruit aromas of sour cherry, fresh red plums, slightly unripe strawberry and dried orange peel; a touch bit of leather, tobacco, white pepper, grape stems, wild herbs and crushed rock minerality also provide added complexity to the complex and terroir driven aromas. The palate is medium plus in body and possesses soft tannins with fruit flavors of sour cherry, red plums and burnt orange peels, in addition to earth driven flavors of dried roses, leather, tobacco, dried tea and crushed stones. This enchanting Frappato needs a lot of air so the purity can emerge, so I highly recommend decanting it for a minimum of 30-45 minutes. Once decanted, serve in Burgundy stems at around 60 degrees—just above cellar temperature so the floral notes do not give way to alcohol. This wine is an incredible food wine, it is one of the most versatile red wines in all of Italy and can pair with just about anything. Grilled meats, tomato based pastas and braised meats all are incredible, but one of the most interesting pairings I have had with Frappato is Pesce-Gratinato (white fish crusted with pistachios and almonds), which is very common in Sicily. This is a great recipe to follow.