2017 Pietradolce Barbagalli Etna Rosso
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Tasting notes
Medicinal cherries, sweet exotic spice, dusty dried flowers and a lifting hint of camphor form a seductive bouquet as the 2017 Etna Rosso Barbagalli blossoms in the glass. This is elegant with its velvety textures and cool-toned black fruits; yet with each passing second, tension builds as bitter citrus and grippy tannins mingle toward the close. The result is a cheek-puckering and structured finale, refreshed by nuances of mint, yet also complicated by balsam herbal tones and a touch of tobacco. The Barbagalli hails from pre-phylloxera bush vines that are between 80-100 years old, growing at 950 meters on the north side of Etna. Today, it’s a bit of a beast, in need of cellaring to soften; however, it has the potential to truly shine with further maturity.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
This is the top red wine made by Pietradolce, and its striking black label is meant to underline its importance in the estate portfolio. The 2017 Etna Rosso Barbagalli offers a pretty garnet color and a lean to mid-weight approach. Made with fruit from pre-phylloxera vines from one of the highest elevation vineyards in the appellation (at 950 meters above sea level), this is always a study in elegance, and the integrity of the fruit transcends most problematic vintage variations thanks to the hearty resilience of the vines and their extended root systems. This wine shows composure and equilibrium with an incredibly glossy or silky quality of fruit with berry, smoke, tar and campfire ash. That old-vine concentration and power (with 15% alcohol) also comes through clearly. Only 2,500 bottles were released.
Deeper in colour than any of the other 2017 wines, but this is Nerello Mascalese from 100-year-old alberello vines, which grow small bunches with tiny grapes, hence the deeper colour. Cask sample. Perfumed, concentrated dark-fruit nose. Lots of perfumed dark fruit on the palate too, and only of medium-bodied weight. Enormous tannins that are supporting the long fruit finish. Not ‘Burgundy’ but ‘Barolo of the south’. (WS)
The dark and sleek 2017 Etna Rosso Barbagalli opens with a mentholated freshness, displaying crushed red plums, blackberries, savory herbs and white smoke. This shows the warmth of the vintage through its masses of ultra-ripe red and black fruits, yet balance is achieved through cool-toned acidity as a tinge of balsamic spice embellishes the close. Grippy and saturating, the 2017 lingers incredibly long and still tannic.