In my quest to find my favourite red wine in my price range, whilst using a knock-out format, you have the risk of some weird and wonderful pairings. This was a case in point.
Etna has been tipped by many as a potential dark horse, while Rioja has the pedigree and QPR to go all the way.
As usual results and notes in the comments.
by rob1001-
2 Comments
Wine 1: 2016 Tenuta Tascante Contrada Sciaranuova VV, Etna DOC, Sicily.
100% Nerello Mascalese, 13% alcohol.
Ratings: Jancis Robinson 17/20, Wine Advocate 94/100, Vivino 4.2/5. 88 EUR paid September 2024.
Wine 2: 2015 Prado Enea Gran Reserva, Bodegas Muga, Rioja Alta, Rioja.
80% Tempranillo, rest Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano. 14.5% alcohol.
Parker 97/100, Suckling 97/100, Jeb Dunnuck 97/100, Wine Spectator 94/100, Wine Enthusiast 97/100, Vivino 4.5/5. 74 EUR paid January 2024.
About the vineyards:
Tenuta Tascante – Grown on steep, terraced slopes on Europe’s highest volcano at 730m. The Contrada Sciaranuova V.V comes from a single vineyard surrounded by chestnut trees. 60y old vines, North facing. Soils of multiple layers of lava flows, composed of sand and crumbled as well as solid rock. Slow ripening and late harvest. 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels and 12 months in 3^(rd) use French oak barrels.
Bodegas Muga – Calcareous clay and alluvial soils at 550-700m across multiple sites in Rioja Alta. 36 months in mostly French oak but a small percentage of American. The only cellar in Spain with an in-house master cooper and barrel makers. Then another 36 months in the bottle before release.
Tasting: We started with the Etna. The fruits were popping out of the glass, both on the nose and palate: red berries, cherries, strawberries. Also a mintiness and some levels of licorice and pepper. Medium/high acid but well balanced, smooth tannins. This wine has aged perfectly without losing any of its freshness. Moving onto the Prado. This showed classic Rioja flavours. Vanilla, leather, tobacco. Blackberry and plums on the nose, cherry and chocoloate on the palate as well as other red berries. Smooth but the long finish was missing, and the freshness was fading.
Verdict: Going into this tasting I think everyone in the group had a very strong conviction that we would prefer the Rioja. Indeed the more powerful style also made things more difficult for the Etna in comparison. How wrong we were, this wine really opened my eyes to what an amazing region Etna can be, and the wine was one of my highlights of the entire competition so far.
rooting for the etna here, those volcanic soils can produce some wild earthy flavors that just hit different