Winemaker Notes
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
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of ripe wild berry and Mediterranean scrub alongside a whiff of eucalyptus take shape in the glass. Juicy and smooth, the palate offers crushed raspberry, strawberry compote, licorice and notes of exotic incense framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. A tangy mineral note gives the finish tension. Drink through 2027. T. Edward Wines Ltd.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted at the winery, the 2017 Etna Rosso Passorosso comes from this very hot vintage but offers gorgeous notes of ripe cherries, fresh leather, dried herbs, and pressed flowers. Medium-bodied, with a velvety texture, ripe tannins, and a long-lasting finish, it’s quite fresh and not showing much development and is in a great place right now.
-
Decanter
Old bush-vine Nerello Mascalese blended from several crus on the north side of Etna at various altitudes. The nose of sweet strawberry and fragrant cherry and raspberry is joined by some black and white pepper. There's great concentration in the mouth, with a rich texture to the soft tannins, and tangy red fruits accompany vivid, gum-tingling acidity to ensure not a single degree of the 14.5% alcohol seems out of place. The long finish displays some dark chocolate, tobacco and wood notes. Drinking Window 2020 - 2026
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.