SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch returns to Italy for a rosato that has him willing warmer weather to happen:
Spring is just around the corner—is it too soon to start stocking up on rosé? Out here in Northern California, where it poured rain all winter, we’re hoping for more flowers than showers, and we can’t wait to lighten up the food and drink menu a little bit. Luckily, this rosato from Sicily’s Mount Etna has enough under the hood to ward off any winter chill that might still be lingering. Based on Etna’s indigenous Nerello Mascalese grape and showing off as much mineral savor as bright berry fruit, this 2015 is more than just a simple pink quaffer; there’s some genuine complexity to its aromatics, and serious depth of flavor, too. Italy has its share of deeply hued rosatos that are more than halfway to being red wines; this isn’t one of those, but it does have an extra dimension—a real sense of place—and few wines I’ve tasted recently have made me want to cook food for it so urgently. It has the backbone of some of the great rosés of Provence.
When we tasted this wine—on one of our innumerable cold, rainy days—my mouth immediately began to water for foods I’ll have to wait a little longer still to eat. Like tomatoes, first and foremost. My inner Sicilian emerged as the wine’s tangy texture took hold, and I started conceptualizing a very simple, Sicilian-style pairing: a beautiful piece of sushi-grade Tuna, seared briefly on each side and slathered with burst cherry tomatoes with some minced garlic and oregano. I may have even let loose a little Homer Simpson
groan/drool in that moment.
As you may have read recently, Mount Etna—Europe’s largest active volcano—has been
erupting lately, and yes, there are instances when lava flows can affect vineyards and villages on the volcano’s slopes. Etna’s summit is about 11,000 feet, while the majority of its vineyards are planted between 1,500 and 3,500 feet (making them some of the highest-elevation vineyards in Europe). These cooler altitudes, along with Etna’s mineral-rich, coal-black volcanic soils, help compensate for Sicily’s near-complete dryness during the wine-growing season; vineyards on Etna are steep terraces planted mostly in the “bush-trained” style (called
alberello, or “little tree,” in Italian), so that grape clusters are protected from harsh winds and roots are able to dig deep for moisture. One of the most strangely beautiful sights in all of wine is that of a vineyard full of gnarled old
alberelli strewn with large black pumice stones from a previous
sciare (lava flow). As many have remarked, it has the look of a lunar surface.
Giuseppe Russo is one of the great artisan producers on Etna (a place that has lately been overrun with larger wine firms looking for a piece of this celebrated terroir). Born on Etna, he was a classically trained pianist and music teacher/theorist before returning to his family farm after his father, Girolamo, died in 2003. He farms his family 15 hectares of vines organically and bottles several single-vineyard reds from Nerello Mascalese, Burgundy-style. Most of Russo’s plots are in and around Randazzo, a village thought of as one of the “Grand Crus” of Etna’s prized north slope.
As we’ve noted many times, Nerello Mascalese wines from great sites on Etna have become some of Italy’s most striking analogs to French red Burgundy—the bright cherry/berry fruit is there, as is the profound minerality, uplifted acidity, fine-grained tannins, and a perfumed elegance that makes us swoon. In
rosato form, this 2015 does not disappoint: The color is a few shades deeper than coppery, with a deep, almost violet tint to its dusty rose core. Aromas of dried cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, rosewater, baking spice, lavender, and a hint of charcoal erupt from the glass. The mix of bright fruit and mineral earthiness is perfectly calibrated, and where so many pink wines fall flat and a bit flabby on the palate, this one has real grip—both acidic and slightly tannic. It is quite substantial on the palate, too, and its mix of savor and structure makes it one of the more versatile food wines you’ll ever drink. Serve it well above refrigerator temperature, say 50 degrees, in white wine stems (or even Burgundy bowls), and don’t limit it to cocktail time. This should be on a table with food, whether it’s my improvisation from above or something a little more spelled out, like this
recipe. As the seasons progress, there will be many occasions for this wine to shine, from homemade pizza to Panzanella salad to other seafood of all stripes. Stock up now; I guarantee you won’t regret it!
