2016 Etna Rosso Riserva Serra della Contessa
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Tasting notes
85% Nerello Mascalese, 15% Nerello Cappuccio, ungrafted, over 100 years old, co-planted in a vineyard located in Contrada Monte Serra, on the south-east slope of Mount Etna. 2016 was, we're told by Salvino Benanti, the best vintage in Etna in the last decade. Hint of Turkish delight, of tiny alpine strawberries, of gentian. The fruit is stunning. Elliptical acidity, spinning with light, refracted sweetness, cut-glass strawberries, dark-red cherries. Really shining. Another tapestry. Like the 2015, but even more so. Lots of strawberries. Like sable paintbrush. Saturated. Draws you in, whispers to your lips. Cherries dusted with pepper. No trace of age. Transparent and glowing. I fell in love with this one. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Hint of Turkish delight, of tiny alpine strawberries, of gentian. The fruit is stunning. Elliptical acidity, spinning with light, refracted sweetness, cut-glass strawberries, dark-red cherries. Really shining. Another tapestry. Like the 2015, but even more so. Lots of strawberries. Like sable paintbrush. Saturated. Draws you in, whispers to your lips. Cherries dusted with pepper. No trace of age. Transparent and glowing. I fell in love with this one.
The 2016 Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 Riserva is dark and savory in the glass, grumbling up with notes of crushed rocks and ash that evolve further to reveal musky black currants, hints of licorice and dried violets. This is velvety-smooth, yet not weighty in feel. Instead, the 2016 seems to glide effortlessly across the palate, yet what it leaves behind is a saturation of primary fruit and mineral tones, as well as silky tannins that penetrate deeply. The Serra della Contessa finishes structured yet long and unexpectedly fresh, with balsam herbs and a touch of salted licorice that slowly fades. This Etna Rosso is a powerhouse, but it is in need of cellaring to reveal all of its charms.
The 2016 Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 Riserva is dark and savory in the glass, grumbling up with notes of crushed rocks and ash that evolve further to reveal musky black currants, hints of licorice and dried violets. This is velvety-smooth, yet not weighty in feel. Instead, the 2016 seems to glide effortlessly across the palate, yet what it leaves behind is a saturation of primary fruit and mineral tones, as well as silky tannins that penetrate deeply. The Serra della Contessa finishes structured yet long and unexpectedly fresh, with balsam herbs and a touch of salted licorice that slowly fades. This Etna Rosso is a powerhouse, but it is in need of cellaring to reveal all of its charms.
About the producer
Benanti is one of the founding fathers of modern-day wine in Sicily, with Giuseppe Benanti an early champion of wines made from the slopes of Mount Etna. Today the property is in the hands of Giuseppe’s children and remains one of the region’s leading names.