Benanti
Rovittello Particella No. 341 Etna Rosso DOC Riserva
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.
The very steep vineyard is planted on a sandy, volcanic soil, rich in minerals and pumice lava stones, with sub-acid reaction. The head-trained bush vines (“alberello”) are pre-phylloxera and ungrafted, with a planting density of 9,000 to 10,000 vinestocks per hectare and a yield of 4,500 kg/ha. The area’s high hill climate, mitigated by the proximity to the Ionian Sea, is humid and rainy in the cooler season, with constant good ventilation and high luminosity.
- Region
- Sicily
- Appellation
- Etna Rosso DOC Riserva
- Varietal Composition
- Nerello Mascalese
- Aging
- 24 months mostly in large French oak barrels (15hl), then 12 months in bottle.
- Alcohol
- 14.2%
Pale ruby red with light garnet tints, this wine has an ethereal and intense nose, with delicate hints of ripe fruit, chestnut flowers, and noble wood. The palate is elegant, with fine tannins, balanced structure, and remarkable persistence.
James Suckling
93 Points
2018
"Cedar and dried flowers with some plum and orange-peel aromas that follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and a crunchy finish. Just a hint of wood at the end. Holding on nicely but ready to drink now.."
— James Suckling, 2024
