Acclaim

“Representing a 70-30 blend of Nerello Mascalese and Nocera, the 2016 Peloro Rosso is a charming wine with a lot of authentic character that you would never find in a wine made outside of the fabulous Mediterranean island and cultural crossroads that is Sicily. This is a tangy and raw wine that offers tension and energy to the palate. It ages in tonneaux for six months. Dark fruit aromas segue to olive, spice, ashy smoke and forest bramble. Some 15,000 bottles were made. You get great value here.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“The 2017 Nerello Mascalese Rosematte delivers absolutely everything you should expect of an informal rosé to drink with appetizers, finger foods or sushi. It opens to a light and luminous pink color and shows aromas of wild berry, cassis and briny mineral. The wine is lean in texture, crisp in acidity and almost salty in taste. Some 6,000 bottles were made, and you get excellent value here.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“Le Casematte’s 2016 Faro represents a traditional blend of 55% Nerello Mascalese, 25% Nerello Cappuccio, 10% Nocera and 10% Nero d’Avola. These four grapes are radically different from one another yet they reach a place of impeccable balance in this wine. Both the Nerello Cappuccio and the Nocera add tangy aromas of crushed white pepper. The Nero d’Avola adds subtle tones of roasted fennel seed and green caper. Lastly, the Nerello Mascalese adds tar, smoke and dusty ash. Some 10,000 bottles were made.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“The 2017 Etna Bianco Archineri shows a mild and subtle bouquet with distant tones of crushed mineral followed by dried citrus, white apricot and dried sage. That subtle personality grows with time, and the wine needs a little extra time to open. It goes from citrus and grapefruit to crushed stone, yellow rose and honeysuckle. The finish is lean but zesty and crisp. Old vines are used to make this wine, some as old as 130 years old. Only 3,000 bottles were produced.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“The 2016 Etna Rosso Archineri is made with fruit from pre-phylloxera vines aged up to 90 years old. This is a finessed and nuanced expression from a vintage that threw a few curve balls to vintners on Etna where the climate and temperatures can change at the drop of a dime. The finish is shorter compared to vintages of the recent past, but this mid-weight red is very articulate in terms of its aromatic offerings. It shows small-berry aromas with lilac, spice and wild blueberry. Some 7,000 bottles were made.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“Subtle but alluring aromas of wild berry, fragrant blue flower and menthol come together on this. It’s elegant and structured, evoking succulent Marasca cherry, orange zest, star anise and a flinty mineral note alongside polished tannins.” -Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 31, 2018

“The 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante shows girth and power to the mid-palate. This is a dense and fleshed-out red wine from Etna made with fruit from 90-year-old vines. However, like other expressions from this vintage, I found there to be a lot of immediate intensity up front, with less persistence and fiber in the long run. This seems to be a shared characteristic of 2016. Some 5,000 bottles were made.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

“The 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito shows some of the difficulty of the vintage with a mild and slightly subdued approach. This wine might flesh out with more time in the bottle, but I’m afraid that the inner fiber of the vintage is just weaker overall. This is a great choice for near or medium-term drinking. The wine is loaded with forest berry, tar, smoke and licorice. Some 5,000 bottles were released.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018

EDITORS’ CHOICE “Smooth and seductive, this offers aromas of wild berry, blue flower, dark spice, crushed rock and a whiff of Mediterranean brush. The polished, savory palate doles out juicy Morello cherry, strawberry, star anise and wild herb. Lithe tannins provide seamless support while bright acidity lends balance. Drink 2021–2028.” -Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 31, 2018

“Here’s a new wine from Pietradolce that seeks to expand the parameters and potential of age-worthy white wine made on Etna. Most of the whites from the volcano are executed in a purely reductive style with a snappy, steely approach. The 2015 Sant’Andrea (made with pre-phylloxera Carricante vines that are up to 130 years old) offers a soft and oxidized approach instead. This full-bodied wine opens to a saturated, off-gold color. The bouquet is piled high with apricot, dried pineapple, honey and toasted almond. Fruit was selected, cluster by cluster from each vine, and fermented on the skins in a single oak cask. The wine was left to settle naturally and saw 18 months of bottle aging. There is a point of tannic astringency as a result, and you can taste that flavor intensity that comes from extended skin maceration. The finish is structured, dry and almost salty in favor. This wine should continue to evolve and flesh out over the next ten years. Only 1,800 bottles were made.” -Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Dec. 31, 2018