Many of the best producers have been mentioned. Some good - great wines from all of them depending on what you like and are looking for in the wines. I spent a few days on Etna a few years ago and really enjoyed exploring the area. I did a dinner with Antonio Benanti two months ago and the wines were all just on point. From top to bottom just about everything you could ask for and needing only some time to round out the edges. Interesting to note they are located on the South/Southeast of side of Etna. And they have more site specific bottles coming. Terre Nere can be a touch polished. But the Santo Spirito, Guardiola and the San Lorenzo are just awesome. It will be interesting to see if the efforts to promote the wines as Premier and Grand Cru work out. I struggle with the Vigne di Eli wines a bit because I frequently find a pine note that I don’t like in some of the wines. But a Moganazzi opened about three months ago, before the summer heat turned on, was great. Alice Bonaccorsi/ValCerasa is very good, great value and a touch more rustic for sure. The white carries a bit of oxidation. Passopisciaro is certainly one the top producers and has done a tremendous job of focusing on specific sites and elevations with the Contradi wines. P is my favorite, unless of course it is R. The 97 pt entry level wine did not quite live up to expectations. I still wish I had purchased 5 more cases. It was that good. The Ciro Biondi wines are another I would throw in the mix and when they are on they can be as good any wine from anywhere on Etna. Sure they can be a bit quirky, like Calabretta, Cornellison and the Foti wines, but you are 3,000ft up, on the side of a volcano, in Sicily. So it kind of make sense. Etna, along with Northern Piedmont are some of the most interesting wines in Italy right now.
I’ve never found them to be ‘quirky’, but enjoy them for their red-fruited minerality.
Just visited Etna a couple of months ago…
Ciro himself is quirky, maybe his wines take after
Him… don’t really get the love for Benanti, visited the estate and tasted through the range, the wines were fine but to me a little too clean.
I sell Russo so take this with a grain of salt, the wines are terrific and under the radar, Guiseppe has prime real estate and the wine making is spot on.
My revelation of the trip was Ciro Biondi, his wife and him are the funniest couple with real passion about his land. To me his wines are really pure elegant.
I think one thing that gets lost in the conversation is north vs. south, east and west. As a few examples above, biondi and Benanti are southern vineyards, more elegant and refined and Russo, Tere Nere are both northern wineries with more power and a little fuller style. I came away with a different respect for the styles once I visited.
thanks for this great post. for the Passopisciaro Contrados, how many different bottlings are there? also, in the bolded part of your post, are those all different single vineyards to be on the lookout for?
For the Passopisciaro reds made from Nerello Mascalese they have P, R, S, C, G and Etna Rosso. Mostly focused on different elevations and terroir. Santo Spirito, Guardiola and San Lorenzo are single vineyards from Terre Nerre. Morganazzi is a single vineyard bottled under the label Vigne di eli from Marc de Grazia. He also owns Terre Nere. Alice Bonaccorsi is a different wine/producer.
Who do you think make the best QPR Etna Rossos? The Baudry or Prum of Etna if you like. TIA.
Not a profound wine, but the Terre Nere Rosso always scratches the itch, can be found under $20 and is widely available.
I had an interesting tasting in october 2014 :
http://www.invinoveritastoulouse.fr/index.php/degustations-thematiques/appellation-region-pays/733-decouverte-des-vins-de-l-etna-2
The very best wines were :
Passopisciaro « G » (Guardiola) 2011
Passopisciaro « P » (Porcaria) 2011
Pietradolce « Vigna Barbagalli » 2011
Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Prephylloxera - La Vigna di Don Peppino » 2012
Frank Cornelissen « Munjebel 9 VA » 2012
Passopisciaro « S » (Sciaranuvoa) 2011
Benanti « Pietramarina » 2009 (white wine : carricante)
I Vigneri “Vinujancu“ 2011 (white wine : carricante, Riesling rhénan franc de pieds, Grecanico, Minella)
Thanks. Do you find it reaches the heights of, say, Prum WS kabinett (not to mention the consistency)?
Looking backwards to what we had (report by Piere Citerne) :
32. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere 2013
(95% Nerello Mascalese, 5% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS14 - PC14,5 - PR14/14,5 - NH15. Note moyenne AM : 14,6
Fruité immédiat, spontanéité, charme souple et abord facile. Beverino comme on dit en italien…
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS14 - LG14 – MS14 - CDC14 - MF13. Note moyenne SOIR : 13,8
33. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Feudo di Mezzo - Il Quadro delle Rose » 2011
(98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS13 - PCED - PR13 - NH14,5. Note moyenne AM : (13,5?)
Dense, concentré, mais débordé et durci par une acescence non maîtrisée.
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS13 - LG14 – MS(14) - CDC ED (volatile) - MF(12) . Note moyenne SOIR : (10,6?)
34. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Santo Spirito » 2010
(98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS13 - PC12 - PR13 - NH14,5. Note moyenne AM : 13,1
Le nez offre un panorama étonnamment évolué, automnal, ou le bois humide ressort, beaucoup de champignon aussi… L’aération amène un peu de fruit frais, mais la bouche demeure de guingois, lactique, sèche.
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS14 - LG14,5 – MS14,5 - CDC14,5 - MF14 . Note moyenne SOIR : 14,3
35. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Guardiola » 2011
(98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS15,5/16 - PC15,5 - PR16 - NH16. Note moyenne AM : 15,8
Dense dès la robe. Un nez puissant, profond, beaucoup de fruit, de relief floral et épicé ; le vin semble un poil plus mûr que dans la version Passopisciaro de ce terroir - et surtout moins précis. Prestation toutefois fort satisfaisante : belle matière juteuse, profonde, avec des tanins vifs et bien détourés.
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS15 - LG14 – MS15 - CDC15 - MF14,5 . Note moyenne SOIR : 14,7
36. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Calderara Sottana » 2011
(98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS11?- PCED - PR12 - NHED?. Note moyenne AM : ?
Reflets bruns orangés d’une robe qui semble très évoluée. Le fruit paraît cuit, passé, oxydé. L’alcool ressort. Problème de bouteille ?
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS12? - LG14 – MS(?) - CDC(12) - MF14 . Note moyenne SOIR : ?
37. Etna Rosso : Tenuta delle Terre Nere « Prephylloxera – La Vigna di Don Peppino » 2012
(98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio)
A l’ouverture : DS16 - PC16/16,5 - PR16,5+ - NH17. Note moyenne AM : 16,6
Robe pleine, assez fournie, la bordure propose déjà des nuances fauves. Fruit disponible et pulpeux, évocation exubérante de fraise écrasée. Très belle matière, ample, pleine, charnue, un peu emporté par la chaleur du millésime mais offrant une grande présence et une profondeur tannique remarquable, qui gomme l’alcool et rafraîchit la bouche.
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS15,5 - LG15,5 – MS15,5/16 - CDC15 - MF15,5 . Note moyenne SOIR : 15,5
It sems quite difficult to compare with Prüm WS or GH Kabinett …
An excerpt of Pierre’s conclusion :
L’existence de « climats » capables de conférer aux vins des caractères affirmés, identitaires, semble en revanche acquise. Très intéressante déclinaison de terroirs chez Passopisciaro : des personnalités tranchées, évidentes, des nuances retranscrites avec précision - remarquable effacement de l’homme devant le raisin, vraie technicité… Porcaria et Guardiola devraient vieillir avec talent, du moins peut-on l’espérer. Les Terre Nere n’ont pas illustré la chose avec autant de brio : trop de vins approximatifs, ou défectueux. Comme quoi on peut faire des vins « avec soufre » aléatoires…
Two good choices are the entry level reds from Terre Nere and Benanti. The Terre Nere is bit more polished and round. But offers nice red fruit, light tannin and mostly concealed alc. Both should be readily available and around $20. Or a bit below. I kind of look at them as a Bourgogne Rouge for Etna. I do have concerns about the Etna Rosso being hollowed out as many producers start producing the contrada wines.
The last Terre Nere I had was a few weeks ago :
Etna Rosso Tenuta delle Terre Nere Santo Spirito 2013 : 16,5/20
D’emblée, ce vin m’évoque les pentes de l’Etna : cassis soutenu, fraise, acidité bien décidée, goût de lave … Beau caractère.
It should be a good bargain.
The domain considers as premier cru : Feudo di Mezzo, Guardiola, Santo Spririto.
And as grand cru : Calderara Sottana, Boca d’Orzo, San Lorenzo, Prephylloxera.
thanks for this. also, in your next post you mention everyone’s contrada wines… it looks like that basically means “village” in Sicilian… so its kind of like a basic “village” wine as opposed to the more specific sites mentioned above?
I love this site btw. always some great advice and experience to tap into.
Thanks. How do they compare with Firriato le Sabbie?
100% yes. I’ve tried most (if not all) of them in various vintages and while I absolutely love the base Etna Rosso, the Calderara Sottana, Santo Spirito, Guardiola, Feudo di Mezzo Il Quadro Delle Rose, and PrePhyloxera are all a big step up with more depth and complexity.
Also: in the past, their Bianco Vigne Niche was a blend of their Calderara and Santo Spirito crus. And it was excellent. But since the 2014 vintage they have begun to produce separate bottlings of the Calderara and Santo Spirito Bianco. In particular, the Bianco Santo Spirito is a gem and well worth seeking out.
Thanks to a wise friend, I had my first experience recently with the wines of Vigneti Vecchio, the domain of Carmelo Vecchio who is reportedly a longtime employee at Passopisciaro. The wines are newly imported into the US by KL.
The Sciare Vive (“live flow”) Etna Rosso was elegant and precise. I look forward to having this again.
The two bottles of Sciare Vive white that I had were different from one another so I’m not as sure about this one. One was a golden and maybe a bit oxidized. They other bottle was clearer, savory and the kind of carricante that I enjoy. The KL notes indicate some skin contact so I am not sure what to expect going forward. It wasn’t very evident in the second bottle.
Worth a try.
perfect. thanks for the encouragement to seek these out. I love the Etna so I’m sure I will feel similarly about the single vineyard bottlings!
Sorry to bump, but has anyone any opinions about this wine? TIA.
Really sorry, I missed this question. I was prepping for a London trip and then in London. I do not know the producer.