Benanti
Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 Etna Rosso DOC Riserva
After almost twenty years of experience vinifying the well-known Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa, 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 in 15hl French oak barrels
- Alcohol
- 14.2%
With a ruby red color and light garnet tints, this wine presents an ethereal, intense nose with hints of wild berries, spice, and noble wood. The palate is full and harmonious, with mineral notes and considerable persistence. Its tannic structure adds balance and depth
James Suckling
96 Points
"Complex nose of sandalwood, cloves, dried cherries, cranberries, potpourri, incense, pine cones and crushed stones. It's medium-bodied with bright acidity and a spicy, polished and structured palate. Very fine tannins. The wood is a little obvious at the moment. Old-vine nerello mascalese with some nerello cappuccio."
— James Suckling, 2022
Vinous
95 Points
“The 2016 Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa Particella No. 587 Riserva is dark and savory in the glass, grumbling up with notes of crushed rocks and ash that evolve further to reveal musky black currants, hints of licorice and dried violets. This is velvety-smooth, yet not weighty in feel. Instead, the 2016 seems to glide effortlessly across the palate, yet what it leaves behind is a saturation of primary fruit and mineral tones, as well as silky tannins that penetrate deeply. The Serra della Contessa finishes structured yet long and unexpectedly fresh, with balsam herbs and a touch of salted licorice that slowly fades. This Etna Rosso is a powerhouse.”
— Eric Guido, 2022
