Description
Tornatore Pietrarizzo Etna Rosso DOC 2017 is a single vineyard wine. It is sustainably produced (certified) from Nerello Mascalese grapes cultivated in the Pietrarizzo vineyard on the slopes of active volcano, Mount Etna. Volcanic soils tend to give wine concentrated flavours often with mineral notes and good acidity making the wine mouth-wateringly fresh. Tornatore Pietrarizzo Etna Rosso is certainly fresh – and very smooth. Tornatore use a mix of old and more modern practices in their wine-making and whilst Nerello Mascalese has a tendency to be very high in alcohol, they try to rein it in and produce fruit-focused wines like this one.
When a customer asked if I could get hold of an Etna Rosso wine, I didn’t think twice about which wine to introduce them to. Tornatore Pietrarizzo Etna Rosso is a little lighter in colour than some red wines, a little like a Pinot Noir but it’s full of complexity and different flavours; aside from the red fruits, there are balsamic, herbal and mineral notes. Vinified in concrete tanks in order to maintain the fruit focus, the wine is aged in large barrels and in bottle for three months before release. What is most striking though is the texture of this wine, very smooth with soft tannins and a long-lasting finish.
For another Sicilian red wine, try Caruso & Minini’s Nero d’Avola.