This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Girolamo Russo
Nerina Etna Bianco Carricante Blend 2020
The 2020 Etna Bianco Nerina takes things to a very serious level, with a white Burg-like bouquet of crushed oyster shells mixed with yellow apple, dusty dried flowers and hints of brown spice. Its silky, nearly-glycerol textures find balance through a core of saline-infused minerals and brisk acids, as nectarine mixes with bitter lemon pith to create further tension. This leaves the palate with a saturation of primary concentration, yet it maintains amazing freshness through the long and lightly structured finale. The balance of richness, structure and fruit here promises many years of positive evolution. It’s amazing to think that this is the “entry-level” Bianco from Girolamo Russo. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Benanti
Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore Carricante 2017
The 2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina makes itself known with a beguiling bouquet that blends crushed oyster shells with rosemary, young apricot and hints of smoke. It’s deeply textural and elegant in feel, with ripe pit fruits that cascade across a core of zesty acids, as nuances of green citrus pinch at the cheeks. This leaves the palate buzzing with residual energy; fresh melon tones linger and are framed by a coating of salty minerality. While the 2017 shows a bit of extra ripeness from the warm vintage, it does so in such a seductive and balanced way. This is top-shelf Etna Bianco by every scope of the imagination. The Pietra Marina is an old-vines selection of Carricante from the Rinazzo Contrada on Etna’s eastern slope. It refines for 24 months on the lees in stainless steel vats prior to bottling. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese Blend 2020
The 2020 Etna Rosso is remarkably pretty, finessed and floral in style, with dusty rose and licorice-tinged cherry berry fruits forming its bouquet. It’s silky in texture with a pure mix of red fruits and subtle inner spice, all nicely motivated by brisk acidity. The 2020 leaves a saline and citrus-derived tension through the finale, along with a subtle coating of fine tannins that communicate refinement and poise. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Eduardo Torres Acosta
Quota N Rosso IGT Terre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese Blend 2020
A beguiling array of pepper-tinged florals, ashen stones and ground ginger finds purity and beauty in a note of vivid strawberry as the 2020 Rosso Quota N blossoms in the glass. This is finessed and mineral to the core with nervous acids that build energy, and a mix of red, blue and sometimes black, wild berry fruits that seem to morph with each tilt of the glass. It leaves the palate reeling with tension, as grippy tannins linger under an air of lavender and black licorice. Readers can certainly find pleasure here now, but the best is surely yet to come. The Quota N is a wild field blend of 50% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Grenache and a 30% mix of Grecanico, Carricante and Coda di Volpe from the north face of Etna. These ungrafted vines are between 80- to 100-years-old. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Azienda Baroni di Pianogrillo
Grecanico Terre Siciliane IGT 2019
While a bit understated, the 2019 Grecanico impresses still, as dusty florals, nuances of peach skins and sweet spice keep the glass in constant swirling motion. It’s round with soft contours and ripe orchard fruits offset by a core of saline-minerality. This tapers off with a subtle tannic crunch, as nuances of green melon and savory herbs fade. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Fattorie Romeo Del Castello
Allegracore Etna Rosso DOC Nerello Mascalese-Nerello Cappuccio Blend 2019
The 2019 Etna Rosso Allegracore opens with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, yet it then morphs into a wild blend of savory herbs, sour cherries, tangerine and crushed ashen stone. It’s soft-textured, verging on fleshy in feel, yet pure in character, casting mineral-tinged red berries over a core of brisk acidity. This finishes long and lightly structured, while leaving a black tea-like staining upon the senses, all under an air of rosy florals. This varietal Nerello Mascalese is simply stunning today, yet it should also excel through short-term cellaring. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Donnafugata
Fragore Etna Rosso Contrada Montelaguardia Nerello Mascalese 2018
Musky red currants, underbrush and crushed ashen stone form a dark and inviting bouquet as the 2018 Etna Rosso Fragore opens in the glass. This is pure and lifted in style, with vivid wild berry fruits and hints of tangerine energized by bright acidity. The palate is left drenched in primary concentration, as bitter hints of licorice and balsamic spice slowly fade. This is a total success for a difficult vintage. The Fragore hails from the Montelaguardia Contrada on the north side of Etna. It’s refined in second- and third-pass barriques for 16 months. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2020 Tornatore Etna Bianco is deeply alluring, casting a bouquet that blends crushed oyster shells with green apple and chamomile. This is silky-smooth, with a pleasant inner sweetness that’s nicely contrasted by sour citrus and bright acidity. It leaves the palate nicely refreshed while reverberating to the tune of candied lime. Very nice. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 2 years ago