Snaking across the north slope of Mount Etna, through towns such as Randazzo, Passopisciaro, and Rovittello, state route 120 is Etna’s answer to Burgundy’s famed Route de Grands Crus. And while vineyards and wine have existed here since ancient times, the modern era of Etnean wine has been shaped by families like the Benantis—and wines like today’s “Rovittello.”
This is the original ‘Grand Cru’ red of this born-again wine mecca and still the reference point for old-vine Nerello Mascalese grown in Etna’s black volcanic soils. When Catania-born Giuseppe Benanti ‘returned home’ in the 1980s and revived some family vineyards on Etna, the region was recognized as a DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) and there was plenty of commercial wine production going on there, but no one was talking about it. The wines had no international reputation to speak of, which Benanti set out to change. With “Rovittello,” a single-vineyard wine from 80+-year-old vines on the volcano’s north slope, he did just that. It debuted in 1990 to widespread acclaim and has been an Etnean benchmark ever since—still racking up the acclaim today even as Mount Etna bustles with new, high-profile players bringing lots of talent and investment with them. You might say Benanti did it first, and “Rovittello” has yet to be knocked from its perch at the top, despite all the magnificent wine pouring out of the Etna region. This bottling now stands among the most elite Italian wine collectibles out there, alongside the greats of Barolo, Montalcino, Taurasi, and so forth. But whether you’re an avid collector or not, “Rovittello” remains both accessible and affordable—yes, the best of Italian wine is well within your reach!
As I’ve said ad nauseum, the default move when talking about Etna is to compare the wines to Burgundy. I did it again, above, and why not? It’s perfectly accurate, and yet at the same time, it doesn’t necessarily paint a complete picture. Yes, Etna Rosso is ‘Burgundian’ in its overall structure and aromatic personality, and Rovittello hails from what would be a Grand Cru if Etna had such rankings, but there’s also a nod to the crushed velvet texture of Oregon Pinot; the Mediterranean wildness of Bandol reds; and, of course, the black pumice soils of its own home, which bear no resemblance to Burgundy whatsoever. So, there’s that.
Although vines are planted all over the still-active Etna volcano, the northern slopes, and the contrade (vineyard holdings) located there, are considered the premier terroir—the northerly exposition of the vines makes for cooler conditions and a longer growing season. The Benanti family property is still centered around an ancient stone winery structure on the eastern slopes of the volcano, in the village of Viagrande, while the prized plots that supply “Rovittello” sit at about 750 meters’ elevation near the village of Castiglione di Sicilia. With the help of local legend Salvo Foti, Benanti’s longtime enologist, founder Giuseppe Benanti was one of the first on the scene in Etna and shrewdly assembled one of the region’s finest collections of vineyards. The Rovittello plots, like most vineyards on Etna, contain old vines trained in the “bush,” or alberello (“little tree”) style.
Whereas most of Sicily is relentlessly hot and dry, with more fertile soils, Etna is an island unto itself—essentially a “continental” terroir in the heart of the Mediterranean, with wines that reflect their “cool-climate” origins. Not that there’s any lack of ripeness here—there’s intense luminosity and much more rainfall than the rest of Sicily—but the longer growing season ensures that acidity remains fresh and wines maintain balance.
Comprised of 90% Nerello Mascalese and 10% Nerello Cappuccio harvested in the second half of October (incredibly late by Sicilian standards), the 2014 “Rovittello” Etna Rosso was aged a little over a year in 225-liter oak casks (a mix of used and new) and then another year in bottle before release. Now with more bottle age behind it, the wine is in its sweet spot: In the glass, it’s a reflective ruby red moving to garnet and a touch of orange at the rim, with a heady nose of ripe red and black cherry, currants, raspberry, wet violets and rose, sandalwood, wild herbs, crushed rocks, and a touch of vanilla. It is medium-plus in body with a lush, velvety texture and a long, aromatic finish. It’s a very substantial red with a still-firm, fine-grained tannic underpinning that should support further aging—there’s still 5-10 years in it if you decide to cellar some, but I’d say start now and enjoy it over the next few years. Decant it about 30-45 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems and pair it with some Sicilian-style seared tuna with blistered cherry tomatoes or maybe a delicate eggplant parmesan. Attached is another Sicilian specialty that will also work beautifully. Buon appetito!
