Benanti Etna Rosso Rovittello 2017
Mount Etna, Sicily
Regular price $134.99
Benanti Etna Rosso Rovittello 2017
After almost thirty years of experience vinifying the well-known Etna Rosso Rovittello, in 2015 Benanti decided to aim for new heights by focusing exclusively on the small, pre-phylloxera portion of the vineyard and extending the wine’s vinification, maturation and refining period to 60 months, thereby creating this new, exclusive Etna Rosso Riserva produced in a very limited quantity.
94 pts Vinous
The 2017 Etna Rosso Riserva Rovittello Particella No. 341 blossoms in the glass with a remarkably pretty blend of roses, lilac and violets before giving way to dried strawberries and sweet smoke. This is surprisingly round and juicy up front, propelled by vibrant acidity, with crisp red and blueberry fruits that cascade across its stern mineral core. A tinge of sour citrus comes together with lavender and tart blackberries as the 2017 finishes lightly structured and refined. While this rendition of the Rovittello Riserva may drink a little younger than past vintages, it is a truly lovely wine with the balance for a long and steady evolution.
Tasting Note: The color is pale ruby with light tints of garnet. The nose is fine, ethereal, floral, intense, spicy, delicate with hints of ripe fruits and noble wood. The palate is dry, tannic, mineral, elegant, harmonic, with remarkable persistence.
- 100% Nerello Mascalese
- Altitude: 750 m a.s.l. / 2,450 ft a.s.l.
- Soil: Sandy, volcanic, rich in minerals, with sub-acid reaction (pH 6.2)
- Vine Age & Training: Co-planted vineyard of 100 years old, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera, head-trained, short-pruned bush vines grown on small terraces with dry lava-stone walls
- Winemaking: Controlled temperature fermentation in stainless steel vats with 20-21 days long maceration using a unique indigenous yeast cultivated by Benanti
- Aging: In large neutral French oak barrels (15hl), for at least 60 months. Followed by 12 months in bottle.
- ABV: 14%