Winemaker Notes
Contrada Guardiola is an ancient domain at the heart of the estate that produces a rich, juicy wine with fleshy red fruit and smoky mineral tones. The nerello mascalese wines of 2017 are strong in body, powerful in structure, with notes of ripe red fruits, blood orange, pomegranate, and camphor.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The G in the name stands for Guardiola, which is one of the highest vineyards of the estate on Mount Etna, and the source of this wine. Andrea Franchetti arrived in 2000 as one of the first producers to rediscover old vines of Nerello Mascalese, with an average age of 100 years. 'The heatwaves that hit the mainland of Italy also came to Etna,' Franchetti said of the 2017 vintage. 'The grapes ripened steadily and gradually during late summer and into autumn. The advanced maturation in the grapes meant that the harvest began more than a week earlier than usual and all at once, from 20 to 29 October.' This wine is both full of intensity and structure. Mediterranean and elegant on the nose, its thyme, violet and strawberry scents lead to a powerful and extracted palate with precise tannins and an incredible potential to age. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050
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Wine Enthusiast
Here's another stunning wine from this fantastic estate, opening with aromas of underbrush, wild berry, tobacco, rose and dried mint. The structured, elegant palate delivers crushed raspberry, strawberry compote, star anise and flinty mineral, while taut, refined tannins provide finesse and support.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Contrada G (from the spectacular Contrada Guardiola) is a very elegant and polished expression with small berry intensity, crème de cassis, dried pomegranate and delicate whiffs of exotic spice. The wine positions itself with vertical intensity thanks to its mid-weight mouthfeel and very focused aromatic intensity that awakens the senses. I love the extremely polished and pristine nature of this 100% Nerello Mascalese.
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Wine Spectator
A finely meshed red, with ripe black cherry, anise, kumquat and dried strawberry flavors gliding across the palate. Taut tannins underscore the supple texture, while savory saline, iron and herb notes chime in on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2027.
Extending across the variable volcanic soils of the slopes of Mt. Etna at some of the highest vineyard altitudes in all of Europe—up to 3,300 feet—Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most noble red varieties. It makes a beautifully aromatic, firm, cellar-worthy but pale-hued red often comparable to a fine Burgundy or Barbaresco. Somm Secret—Nerello Mascalese takes its name from the black color of its grapes, nerello, and the Mascali plain between Mt. Etna and the coast where it is believed to have originated.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.