It can be bittersweet when one of our a sentimentally favorite wines suddenly becomes a worldwide sensation—but that’s exactly what has happened with Chiara Vigo’s Etna reds in the last few months. We have been raving about Chiara’s property, Romeo del Castello, since SommSelect’s inception and today, some of the biggest names in the wine press are adding to the well deserved chorus of praise.
The New York Times’ Eric Asimov wrote a truly fascinating piece last week. The Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner gave the wines glowing reviews and called the property her #1 visit of 2015. So, sadly, the cat is finally out of the bag with these breathtaking and extraordinarily rare wines. Fortunately, we have been supporting this small family-owned property since before the hype, and thus enjoy access to a disportionately generous fraction of the mere 56 cases that arrive on the West Coast each year.
One of the most gratifying aspects of our work is sharing rare and hard-to-find bottlings with customers who might otherwise not have access to them. I believe the world’s great wines should be enjoyed by everyone. Romeo del Castello is a breathtaking, ancient vineyard on Sicily’s Mount Etna—in Burgundy this would undoubtedly be a Grand Cru. The estate’s “Vigo” cuvée is one of the most deep and soul-stirring reds in the region. The only problem is, “Vigo” is only produced in top vintages and it is very, very rare. Over the years, I’ve encountered just a few bottles, but only featured on top restaurant wine lists. But through equal amounts of stubborn negotiation and blind luck, we have acquired a surprisingly generous allocation of the outstanding 2012 vintage. You should not miss out on this—it is truly incredible.
To walk the vineyards at Romeo del Castello is to step back in time. This is one of the most picturesque and memorable small family estates in Italy. Clinging thousands of feet high up on Sicily’s Mount Etna—a still active volcano—an appropriately brilliant and beautiful young woman, Chiara Vigo, tends to her family’s 100+ year old oak trees and grapevines. There is even a gnarled old olive tree that is over 1,000 years old. These ancient relics are made all the more impressive when one realizes that the property sits dead center in Mount Etna’s lava flow. In the 1980’s, a particularly destructive eruption tore threw the family’s property and wiped out 65% of the vineyards, leaving only ash and hardened lava. Fortunately, a few acres of the family’s oldest Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines were spared. Even more miraculously, in recent years some of the vines which were covered in lava have regenerated from the roots, re-emerged through the solid volcanic layer and are once again producing grapes! It is no wonder that a wine this spectacular is born in a vineyard with such an inspiring story.
Tucked between tentacles of hardened lava, the century-old vines that remain at this vineyard site are farmed with fanatical care and attention to detail. Chiara uses no herbicides or pesticides, ever, and she nurtures these vines into their twilight years with only organic methods and fertilizers. This is a pristine and visually stunning vineyard site that deserves to be mentioned alongside the great Crus of the world. In the cellar Chiara employs a masterful and light touch. Fermentation on skins is carried out in stainless steel tanks for 12 days before aging in 225 liter neutral French oak barrels. There is no filtering, and a very small amount of sulfites are added only at bottling in some vintages—and in other particularly outstanding years, the wine does not see the addition of sulfites, at all. This is as pure as winemaking can get and the results of Chiara’s confident and informed cellar skills are nothing short of stunning.
The first thing that must be said about the 2012 Romeo del Castello “Vigo” is that it is a world class wine that deserves every accolade it has received. This is easily one of the finest and most nuanced bottles I’ve ever enjoyed from Mount Etna. It has a dark crimson core moving into garnet and slight orange reflections on the rim. The wine’s aromatics and palate are deep and brooding at first, but there is a finesse and delicate beauty coexisting with the power. On one hand there are mountain flowers, red fruit, and all the ethereal detail one might seek in top Nuits-Saint-Georges, but there is also dark cherry, volcanic ash and the restrained power for which Etna is known. It is as if Chiara Vigo has taken a bottle of Grand Cru Burgundy and filtered it through the lava that surrounds her house. I strongly recommend stashing away a few bottles of this wine so you can revisit it over the next decade, but it is 100% ready to drink today. To serve, decant the wine for 30 minutes and pour into large Burgundy stems. This bottle has more than enough complexity and intrigue on it’s own—it does not require busy or labor-intensive cuisine to shine. Lamb chops or a hangar steak grilled medium rare over high heat would be perfect. Enjoy the food, but focus on this incredible wine! Cheers.
