Benanti Serra della Contessa Etna Rosso DOC 2020
Benanti
Serra della Contessa is Benanti's flagship single-vineyard Etna Rosso, sourced from pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese vines at 900 meters on the volcano's northern slope. The 2020 vintage captures the tension between volcanic power and Burgundian finesse that makes Etna one of Italy's most compelling regions. This is a wine that will evolve beautifully over the next decade.
Nose
Wild cherry and crushed rose petals lead with immediate elegance. Beneath sits a smoky, volcanic minerality — like warm basalt — intertwined with dried herbs and a whisper of cedar.
Palate
Medium-bodied and tensile. Bright cherry acidity drives the palate while fine tannins provide structure without weight. The volcanic terroir manifests as an iron-tinged minerality that runs through every layer. Late notes of mint and dark berries add complexity.
Finish
Long and savory with lingering rose, cherry, and a persistent mineral salinity.
- Varietal
- Nerello Mascalese
- Blend
- 98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio
- Vineyards
- Serra della Contessa, Contrada Monte Serra, north slope of Mount Etna, 900m elevation
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
Herb-crusted rack of lamb with roasted root vegetables
Giuseppe Benanti revived his family's century-old Etna vineyards in the 1980s, becoming the pioneer who proved that the volcano's ancient soils could produce world-class wine.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d'Alba 2022
Luciano Sandrone
Sandrone is best known for his Barolo, but his Dolcetto d'Alba is quietly one of the finest expressions of this underappreciated grape in Piedmont. Fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel, it reveals what Dolcetto does naturally — deep color, ripe fruit, and a structural bitterness that makes it an extraordinarily versatile table wine. This is where Sandrone's rigor meets everyday pleasure.
Ferrer Bobet Priorat Vinyes Velles 2018
Ferrer Bobet
Ferrer Bobet's old-vine Priorat bottling captures the essence of warmth radiating from ancient llicorella slate — a wine that speaks before you find the words. This 2018 has reached a gorgeous drinking window where concentration meets elegance, offering serious depth at a price that undercuts many of its Priorat peers. A bottle built for contemplation beside a low fire.
Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille's Bourgogne Rouge is a masterclass in what restraint can achieve at the regional level — no excess, no artifice, just transparent Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most principled estates. It embodies the theme of clarity through constraint: a wine that finds its beauty in what it withholds rather than what it offers. An essential benchmark for understanding why less, in Burgundy, is always more.
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie
Calabretta
Calabretta's old-vine Nerello Mascalese is a masterclass in how air and altitude sculpt a wine—vineyards perched high on Etna's slopes channel wind and volcanic breath into the glass. This is traditional Etna winemaking at its most soulful: no shortcuts, no polish, just pure terroir captured by a family that has farmed the same contrada for generations. A hauntingly beautiful wine that rewards patience and contemplation.