Wine & Spirits - Summer 2022 - 82

plum flavors are deep and dense, laced with
notes of roasted fennel and warm spice. A
cool layer of graphite balances the wine's
peppery spice notes, the flavors all riding
above a core of bristling minerality. The
tannins were still smoothing out after three
days, suggesting this has the structure and
intensity to age gracefully. § Skurnik Wines, NY
Sicily &
Salina
94 | Tenuta delle
Terre Nere
$54
2019 Etna Rosso Moganazzi ^ Scents of rose
petals and mortared herbs rise from the glass
in this exuberantly aromatic Etna Rosso. Its
flavors of Morello cherry and blood orange
are juicy and lively, woven with notes of
crushed rock and sea salt and tinged with a
smoky savor that lends depth to the bright
fruit tones. Marco de Grazia's plot in Moganazzi
is less than four acres, and he makes
just 3,000 bottles of this delicious wine. It is
well worth seeking out. § Skurnik Wines, NY
93 | Tenuta delle
Terre Nere
$29
2020 Etna Rosso (BEST BUY) ^ There's a cranberry
crunch to this wine's juicy cherry and
plum flavors, the fruit framed by chewy
tannins that make this wine immediately
approachable. Its fresh floral scents and
midweight frame give it the drinkability of
a pinot noir, yet it reveals Etna's serious side
in the layers of dark tar and black tea that
flow beneath the bright fruit tones. This is
always a good bet if you spot it on a wine list. §
Skurnik Wines, NY
93 | Tenuta delle
Terre Nere
$54
2019 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito ^ This nerello
mascalese comes from vines rooted in deep,
ashy soils at elevations of up to 2,780 feet on
Etna's northern slope. The wine's high-toned
floral scents lead into translucent cherry flavors
tinged with delicate smoky notes. Cool
salinity weaves through the succulent fruit
tones, propelling the wine to a bright and
vertical finish. § Skurnik Wines, NY
92 | Pietradolce
$48
2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito ^
This is a dark and meaty wine, its red cherry
and plum flavors stoked by a core of dark,
smoky minerality. The flavors brighten as the
wine opens in the glass, revealing scents of
rose petal and tangy cranberry flavors, even
as that savory intensity continues to evolve.
This may be better in a year or two after the
flavors have time to meld. § Empson USA, NY
92 | Tenuta di Fessina
$25
2020 Etna Rosso Erse (BEST BUY) ^ This wine
offers nice complexity and excellent value. Its
fresh floral scents accenting vibrant cherry
and plum flavors. Bristly tannins give shape
to the bright fruit tones, leading them toward
a smoky and savory finish. § Vineyard Brands,
Birmingham, AL
92 | Pietradolce
$138
2016 Etna Rosso Vigna Barbagalli ^ Alberello-trained
vines up to 100 years old yielded
this intensely concentrated wine. Flavors of
black plum and red apple skin crowd together
with notes of tar, licorice and iodine, those
flavors underscored by jagged black-rock tannins.
This could never be mistaken for anything
but a volcanic wine, and its extreme
expression of smoke, savor and minerality is
not for the faint of heart. § Empson USA, NY
92 | Tenuta delle
Terre Nere
$54
2019 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo ^ This wine
is generously fruity for an Etna Rosso, its
deep plum and seared-cherry flavors layered
with notes of grilled herbs and dark smoke,
all of it entwined in bristly black tannins. Play
up those smoky notes by pairing this with
something off the grill. § Skurnik Wines, NY
90 | Murgo
$21
2020 Etna Rosso (BEST BUY) ^ A hint of tar and
smoke lend depth to this wine's bright cherry
and plum flavors. It finishes on a savory note,
ready for roast pork. § Skurnik Wines, NY;
North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
90 | Tasca d'Almerita
$21
2019 Etna Rosso Tenuta Tascante Ghiaia
Nera (BEST BUY) ^ With its pale cranberry
color and tangy cherry and raspberry flavors,
this wine drinks almost like an Etna Rosato.
Serve it lightly chilled as a lively and refreshing
partner for a plate of salumi and cheese. §
Dalla Terra, Napa, CA l
92 | Caravaglio
Our blind panels tasted 107 wines from
Sicily and Salina for this issue. Stephanie
Johnson, our Italian wine editor, chose
these 16 as the top performers, including
10 Best Buys. Find a complete list of wines
tasted and all reviews at
wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
WHITE
93 | Caravaglio
$30
2020 Salina Occhio di Terra ^ Nino Caravaglio
farms 37 acres of malvasia di Lipari
vines on the island of Salina, using a selection
to make this rich, succulent wine. He leaves
the juice in contact with the skins for a brief
period to pick up a deep copper hue and
dense, chewy texture; that maceration also
builds intense aromas and flavors of apricot
and peach dusted with notes of nutmeg and
cardamom. This is an " orange wine " without
the bitter flavors that sometimes come
with skin contact. Occhio di Terra is fresh
and lively, ready to accompany salty cheeses
or grilled swordfish. § North Berkeley Imports,
Berkeley, CA
$30
2021 Salina Malvasia Secca di Tricoli
Infatata ^ Infatata is the mama bear of Nino
Caravaglio's three dry malvasia wines, less
dense than the chewy and spicy Occhio di
Terra, more concentrated and fleshy than
the breezy, entry-level malvasia secco. Infa82
WINE
& SPIR IT S
Summ ER 202 2
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