Winemaker Notes
Vanilla, sour cherry, wild strawberry, a very clean floral effect. In the mouth substantial but smooth. Very expressive fruit with more complex aromatic elements of undergrowth, myrtle and Asian spices unexpectedly transforms into a champion of drinkable red wine with marked savory flavor and a tasting profile produced by a ferrous touch, rhubarb and very evident black pepper. A wine for everyday drinking.
Its adaptability allows it to accompany the simple a pasta with tomato dish to more complex dishes of meat and fish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very smoky and intense with cherries, berries and some orange peel and ash. It’s full-bodied, but not overbearing, with lovely fruit and citrus character at the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Planeta 2019 Etna Rosso is primary and less formal overall but still very true to the classic fundamentals of an Etna red. The bouquet is immediate in its delivery of wild rose, cassis and dried raspberry. It's no surprise that those distinctive volcanic tones of dry ash and earth also play a leading role. This Rosso is lean and streamlined with nice freshness to conclude. Serve it with a classic Sicilian pasta alla Norma (tomato, eggplant and ricotta salata).
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright and savory, this has alluring scents of fragrant blue flowers, wild red berries and Mediterranean brush. On the polished, racy palate, supple tannins and vibrant acidity accompany juicy red cherry, blood orange, star anise and a tangy mineral note evoking rusty nail.
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.