“Contrada Monte Serra” Rosso Etna DOC 2023

Benanti Viticoltori | Sicily
Benanti Viticoltori S.p.a. | Via Garibaldi 361 | IT 95029 Viagrande

19132623 · 0,75 l · 58,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

This is where it all began. In Viagrande, on the south-eastern slope of Mount Etna, where Giuseppe Benanti's grandfather planted the first vines at the end of the 19th century, lies the heart of the winery. The Contrada Monte Serra is no ordinary vineyard – it rises on an extinct volcanic cone that once erupted independently of the main crater and whose pyroclastic deposits created a unique soil: light, rich in skeletons, with exceptional drainage. At an altitude of just 450 metres, closer to the Ionian Sea than the other contrade, the grapes ripen earlier here and develop a softer, more accessible elegance. The vines – some over 100 years old – grow in the traditional Alberello on small terraces with lava stone dry stone walls, with an extreme density of 9,000 vines per hectare. The sandy volcanic soils are rich in ripiddu, the characteristic small pumice skeleton of Etna.

Light ruby red with garnet nuances. The bouquet is ethereal and spicy – hot tar, crushed stone, herbs, black pepper and sour cherry. The palate is dry, medium-bodied, with lively acidity and present but polished tannins. Citrus notes and racy red fruit, a whirl of energy and dynamism. Soft, elegant, mature and yet with the unmistakable volcanic signature of Etna. SUPERIORE.DE

"Light ruby red with a brightening rim. Delicate nose of redcurrants and raspberries, followed later by leather and a hint of bitterness. Wide-opening on the palate, clearly complex tannins. Retronasal, some blood orange. Successful and long final." Falstaff