Gulfi Reseca Etna Rosso 2016
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
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James Suckling
At once fragrant and savory, with sour-cherry and redcurrant fruit, this generous and fresh Etna red has a solid base of healthy tannins that have just softened to the point where it gives a lot of pleasure. Interesting interplay of delicate coffee and mineral at the very satisfying finish. This has many years ahead of it. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with organic fruit, the Gulfi 2016 Etna Rosso Reseca is 100% Nerello Mascalese drawn from a 1.5-hectare vineyard located at a steep 800 meters above sea level on the blackened cone of the volcano. The wine delivers both power and grace, or the two contrasting qualities that define the great wines of Etna. This vintage reveals intact primary intensity and doesn't immediately show the age of this late-release Etna red. Indeed, the classic 2016 vintage is rather timeless in that way. That fresh fruit should carry this wine easily up to the 10-year mark and probably beyond. The wine is aged in large oak casks for two years, and 4,500 bottles were made.
Etna makes Sicily different and makes the difference between the two Sicilies: Western and Eastern. It’s Etna that makes Sicily different and that makes the difference between Western and Eastern Sicily. In front of the tallest active volcano in Europe one can not remain indifferent. The Mountain is, for us from Eastern Sicily, a reference. Our Reseca is the offspring of an old alberlli vineyard in the area of Randazzo, on the northern side of Etna, which encloses the peculiarity and uniqueness of this territory and its mainland climate. It takes strength from the primordial volcanic earth and the indigenous vine "Nerello Mascalese" that is cultivated in "alberello" style: an ancient example of winemaking culture.
Extending across the variable volcanic soils of the slopes of Mt. Etna at some of the highest vineyard altitudes in all of Europe—up to 3,300 feet—Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most noble red varieties. It makes a beautifully aromatic, firm, cellar-worthy but pale-hued red often comparable to a fine Burgundy or Barbaresco. Somm Secret—Nerello Mascalese takes its name from the black color of its grapes, nerello, and the Mascali plain between Mt. Etna and the coast where it is believed to have originated.
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.