Winemaker Notes
Ruby red, delicate and incredibly balanced on the nose, clear hints of red berries, flowers, perfectly integrated to a minerality and evolution worthy of a great wine. Great structure on the mouth with a surprising drinkability and elegance.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Spice and dried seaweed with ash and earth on the nose, as well as red fruit. Full-bodied with medium, round tannins and a savory finish. Dusty at the end. Delicious now, but will age nicely.
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Wine Spectator
A graceful, medium-bodied red, with bright acidity and fine, creamy tannins, which buoy a pleasing range of baked strawberry, star anise, graphite and red licorice notes. A subtle overtone of herbs and mineral pushes through and lingers on the lightly chewy finish. Drink now through 2032.
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Wine & Spirits
Red plum flavors show a pleasantly tart edge that’s balanced by dark tarry notes and tinges of smoke. It finishes dry and savory, with an orange peel brightness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Tornatore 2019 Etna Rosso Pietrarizzo shows a sweet side with redcurrant and cherry that is enhanced by oak spice and mild toast. The wine takes a rather straightforward interpretation of the grape with lots of primary fruit and a streamlined style. The tannins are soft and the wine is accessible now.
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.