Winemaker Notes
A rich bouquet ranging from red berry jam to spices and mineral notes; elegant and full of character at the same time; distinctive minerality, freshness and flavor intensity sustained by firm tannins. A lengthy, elegant and fruity finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
These pre-phylloxera vines are up to 100 years old and grown at 900m. Raspberry aromas infuse the nose, which is rich yet lifted and elegant, with great purity of fruit. It’s suave and very concentrated with imposing tannins, but not too extracted. Structured and still a bit severe, it has potential. Long. Drinking Window 2019 - 2028
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Here is a wine I always look forward to tasting. The 2015 Etna Rosso Barbagalli is made with extraordinary pre-phylloxera vines that range up to 120 years old. You definitely taste the rich concentration and focused aromatic intensity that is so unique to old vines. This wine is characterized by the very steady, slow-paced nature of its aromas that unfold with elegance and grace. Small forest berry is followed by licorice, tar and dried violets. To the palate, the wine is very firm, tightly knit and embroidered with lovely little details and nuances. The wine is aged in 700-liter oak casks (lightly toasted) for 20 months.
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James Suckling
Made from pure nerello mascalese, this soft and silky red with pretty leather, berries and chocolate, shows deep, terroir character. Smoky ash and pumice undertones to the dark fruit. Juicy and delicious.
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Wine Spectator
Beautifully fragrant, exuding incense, exotic spice and wild herb aromas, this graceful version shows focus and complexity without excessive weight, layering the fine-grained tannins and poached black cherry, leather and mineral flavors on a bright, medium-bodied frame. Drink now through 2027.
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Wine & Spirits
Fruit culled from vines up to a century old yielded a tightly wound wine that unfurls to reveal detailed and precise flavors of ripe red plum, licorice, fennel and black olive. Pair it with swordfish to complement the wine’s lithe frame, vibrant acidity and intense salinity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with old, pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese vines, this opens with earthy aromas of wild berry, blue flower, crushed stone, leather and just a whiff of barnyard. The full-bodied palate doles out Marasca cherry soaked in spirits, star anise, white pepper and a hint of game alongside fine-grained tannins. A salty mineral note marks the close.
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.