Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2021
Girolamo Russo · Girolamo Russo
San Lorenzo is one of Etna's most respected contrade, and Girolamo Russo's bottling demonstrates why. The volcanic terroir — black sand, ash, and iron-rich lava stone — is not background here; it is the protagonist. A Burgundian sensibility applied to Sicilian volcanic fruit, resulting in a wine of transparency and tension.
Nose
Vivid red cherry and crushed wild strawberry with dried rose petals and a pronounced volcanic mineral note — wet pumice and iron filings. Hints of dried herbs and cracked black pepper add complexity.
Palate
Elegant and taut with bright cherry fruit, blood orange, and a ferrous minerality that runs like a spine through the wine. Fine-grained tannins provide structure without weight. There is a smoky, ashy quality that recalls the volcanic soil the Nerello Mascalese vines are rooted in.
Finish
Long and saline with lingering cherry, iron-tinged mineral notes, and a delicate floral lift on the close.
- Varietal
- Nerello Mascalese
- Blend
- 95% Nerello Mascalese, 5% Nerello Cappuccio
- Vineyards
- Contrada San Lorenzo, north face of Mount Etna, 600m elevation
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
Simply grilled lamb chops seasoned with rosemary and sea salt complement the wine's iron-mineral backbone, while the lamb's gentle fattiness tempers the bright acidity and fine tannins.
Pianist-turned-winemaker Giuseppe Russo tends century-old alberello-trained Nerello Mascalese vines in the San Lorenzo contrada on Mount Etna's north face, farming organically in the iron-rich volcanic soils at 600 meters elevation.
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