2020 Grottafumata 'Lato Sud' Nerello Mascalese Rosso Terre Siciliane
Winemaker Notes: We can finally answer this question thanks to the latest release from Grottafumata, a dynamic young estate run by Mauro Cutuli and Mariangela Prestifilippo. Never did we think, upon tasting their stellar olive oil several years ago in a wine bar on Mount Etna, that we would be dealing with a rising star of Sicily’s winemaking scene. But when Mauro reached out the following year to let us know the couple had vinified their first Etna bianco and rosso, we couldn’t refuse a tasting.
Grottafumata is, in a sense, the antithesis of many of the changes Etna has seen in recent times. As multinational wine brands have settled looking to cash in on the Etna name, bulldozing vast swaths of land in preparation for planting and erecting super-wineries overnight, Mauro and Mariangela have gone back to the roots. They painstakingly sought out great vineyard sites planted to old vines, making deals with old contadino farmers no longer interested in working the steep land. They grow the fruit organically and vinify it naturally in rented cellar space, and the results—tiny volumes of wines infused with Etna’s exotic, smoky aura—speak for themselves. - Anthony Lynch.
90% Nerello Mascalese, 10% Nerello Cappuccio.
Country | Italy |
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Region | Sicily |
Vintage | 2020 |
Winery | Grottafumata |
Grape Varietals | Nerello Mascalese |
Size | 750 milliliter |