The majority of the Italian wines I've tasted came from Piedmont and Tuscany – Barolo, Chianti, the occasional SuperTuscan. I asked the owner of one of my local shops to point me towards something new and different – so I ended up at Mount Etna! I knew nothing about Sicilian wine or that the volcano had such prized land, so I started off with this $25 bottle to get to know the area better. New grapes for me too – a blend of Nerello Mascalese & Nerello Cappuccio, harvested in mid October, spending 6 months in barrels and a further 3 in bottle before release. I'm wanting to understand more about ::why:: a wine tastes how it does recently, so I'm reading producer sheets more intently to see what I pick up/understand, bear with me. Stored at 55, popped and poured. Paired with a middling cheese and pepperoni pizza.
Visually, a pale ruby, just barely beyond translucent.
On the nose, goodness gracious – INTENSELY mineral. I'm in construction management and I love to hike, so I've smelled some rocks – this is overpowering wet stone, limerock, river rocks, wow. Raspberries, cherries and stone. As it warmed, licorice/candied fruits, and very, very faint baking spice at the end.
On the palate – quite light, crisp, and tart. Very straightforward light Italian red, an absolute crowd pleaser, something great to enjoy with company. Above average acidity with gentle tannin, and a 14% abv that calls no attention to itself. This is a wine made to enjoy young to me – reading up on the production, the grapes aren't totally crushed, with a bit of post-fermentation maceration to add gentle structure. Decent finish length of all ripe red fruits.
My first thought was to compare it to a Bojo-Villages due to its lightness, straightforward red fruit flavors, affordability – but that minerality is something else, man – it's not a proper comparison. Within minutes after finishing the bottle I started a deeper dive into learning about the region – the complexities in its organizations and small segments scattered around the volcano, especially to the north of it. I'm captivated, already added one more Etna with some years on it to the cellar (2016 Alta Mora Guardiola), and looking forward to what else those volcanic soils can do for me!
by JJxiv15