2010 Palari Faro 750 ml

From the Brink of Extinction to an “Italian Icon”

Since Salvatore Geraci’s first vintage in 1994, the Faro Palari has earned the coveted Gambero Rosso “Tre Bicchieri” award nearly every year, and 2010 was no exception. Sicilian winemaker Alessio Planeta told Wine Spectator that 2010 was “a super vintage … one of the best.” Geraci took advantage of this near perfect growing season to craft one of the greatest Faros he’s ever produced. Regularly $90, but offered today at $67.99, our 200 bottle allocation won’t last long.

Extinction is forever. From the dodo to Blockbuster video, things come and go, disappearing without much of a trace. Wines also can become extinct. Had winemaker Salvatore Geraci not intervened, we would not be able to offer the 2010 Palari Faro Palari — a blend of indigenous grape varieties dominated by Nerello Mascalese, and including the endangered Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera, Acitana, and Tignolino grapes.

Winemaking in Faro, in the northeast coast of Sicily on steep volcanic slopes between Messina and Taormina, dates back to the Bronze Age, but it almost went the way of the dodo, thanks to conquest and the 19th century blight of Phylloxera slashed into the planted acreage. On volcanic terraces 1,500 feet above sea level and cooled by the Mediterranean, ancient gnarled bush vines produce tiny yields. Today, the appellation has just 15 planted acres — about the same size as La Tâche!

But conservation success stories always have a hero at their heart, and Faro’s champion is Salvatore Geraci. Geraci and his Palari label rescued the DOC from oblivion and inspired a new generation of wine producers. Today, Faro’s wine heritage is secure; Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate calls it “one of the icon wines of southern Italy.”