Cottanera

Barbazzale - a solid Nerello from Cottanera convinces with complex aromas of black berries and mocha. Full and harmonious on the palate with a long fresh finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"Dark crimson; slightly reductive, dense, dark berry jelly, reductive; fullness, lots of tannin, finely bitter, dark fruit. Merum

"An Etna red that’s rich in primary fruit, this shows brambleberry pie, violet reduction and plum paste. Round and fruity on the medium-bodied palate with silky tannins." James Suckling

Brilliant straw yellow. Aromas of lime peel, herbs and light flowers. Juicy on the palate with a fine acid wire; a medium-long, mineral finish rounds off this beautiful white from Etna. SUPERIORE.DE

Fresh rosé, with dark berries and a touch of lavender. Clear fruit on the palate, with elegant smoothness, a fine mineral note and last but not least a winning bite. SUPERIORE.DE

Elegant, exotic-looking Etna Bianco with wonderfully wide aromas of tropical fruits, flowers and peach. Beautifully juicy, balanced and long on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep dark ruby red. Diciasettesettesalme 2018 offers a wonderful bouquet of dark fruit aromas and Cuban cigar tobacco. Balanced on the palate, elegant, substantial and fresh. Stylistically and qualitatively very successful. SUPERIORE.DE

Proud single-ply Sicilian in small edition from 100% Carricante. Fine bouquet of citrus fruits and apricots. On the palate a wonderfully juicy fruit paired with good structure, balanced acidity, fine minerality and appealing length. SUPERIORE.DE

"I love how the guava peel, citrus, herbs and kiwi fruit interact on the nose, creating a sense of purity and focus. Medium to full body, some finely tuned acidity and a medium, oily finish." James Suckling

"Elegant and fine, the 2017 Etna Bianco Contrada Calderara is a wine of extreme precision and balance. Like its peers, this expression of Carricante offers a rather neutral bouquet upon first inspection, but the wine warms in the glass to show honey, pear and smoke. The real action, however, is with those drying mineral notes of crushed stone and marine salt. Those give a jolt of energy, excitement and electricity. Give this wine a bit more time to develop in the bottle." Robert Parker

Sun-drenched Syrah from Etna, with a scent of dark berries and a pleasant spicy note. The taste is mineral and of complex structure. An elegant wine with a harmonious finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Beautiful single vineyard Nerello from the north side of the Etna. In the bouquet cherry and small wild strawberry. Very clearly accentuated and fresh taste, acidity and tannin in perfect harmony and well integrated. Long finish with an impressive elegance and freshness. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright red. Flinty red berries and botanical herbs on the nose. Slightly riper red berries in the mouth, at once elegant but also currently very tannic. Turns very floral on the long finish. This will age well. Strikes me as one of the more precise, refined versions of this wine by Cottanera. From 25 year old vines, this 100% Nerello Mascalse is aged in 20 hL oak barrels for 15 months." Ian d’Agata (vinous.com)

"Aromas of watermelon, plums and flowers follow through to a medium body with a solid core of fruit and a smoky and fruity finish. Delicious. Pure nerello mascalese." James Suckling

"Here's a very interesting new wine from the Cambria family of Cottanera. The 2014 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo is a single-vineyard effort from one of the most celebrated cru sites on this northern side of the volcano. Feudo di Mezzo sees soils that have been broken down and eroded from ancient lava flows and is therefore fine and almost sandy in nature. This helps to establish elegance and finesse in the wine. The bouquet opens to wild blueberry and white cherry aromas with light dustings of ash and spice at the back." Robert Parker

Beautiful single vineyard Nerello from the north side of the Etna. In the bouquet cherry and small wild strawberry. Very clearly accentuated and fresh taste, acidity and tannin in perfect harmony and well integrated. Long finish with an impressive elegance and freshness. SUPERIORE.DE

"Cask sample. Just mid crimson. Sweet, aromatic raspberry nose. Really lithe and perfumed palate of raspberry and with firm tannins on the finish." Jancis Robinson

"This is a beautiful wine that is very representative of what a red wine from Etna should look and taste like. This classic rendition, the 2016 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo, shows medium-thick fiber and impressive depth. This is a direct and incisive wine that hits the palate with lovely intensity and sharply defined angles. Compared to Cottanera's Etna Rosso Diciassettesalme, this wine is taller, broader and speaks in a louder voice. I tasted the open bottle again the next morning, and the wine was even softer, more fleshed out and delicious." Robert Parker

Only about 2,000 bottles are filled every year by this noble Riserva. With a full aroma of black berries, balsamic nuances and spices and a full and clear taste, this great wine excellently combines finesse, elegance and softness. SUPERIORE.DE

"Powerful, radiant ruby with garnet. Opened with notes of ripe, small blackberries, some plum, behind which iodine and liquorice. Full-bodied and dense at the beginning and the end, fine dark berry fruit, opens with present, dense tannin, in the final after liquorice." Falstaff

"Moderately saturated ruby-red. Clean, flinty and characterized typically by darker fruit aromas and flavors than all of the other Cottanera red wines. Finishes with slow building but noble tannins and a multilayered quality. Zottorinotto evolves at a much slower pace than other Etna reds, so I’d suggest forgetting about this in your cellar for the next couple of years." Vinous

"What a nose with tulips, dried rose petals, burnt oranges, pomegranate, mandarins, cinnamon, tamarind and black pepper. So juicy and generous yet structured and serious, the beautiful red fruit driven along by well-poised acidity and sturdy tannins." James Suckling

"The 2014 Etna Rosso Riserva Zottorinoto is one of the stars in this exciting group of new releases from Etna. The wine is darkly saturated and powered by intense, territory-driven aromas. Wild cherry and cranberry emerge first with dark tones of crushed rock and camphor ash at the back. The mouthfeel is tight, elegant and very polished. This vintage shows a very tight and compact nature at its core that makes me think it will have a lot to offer as it continues its bottle evolution. Only 1,900 bottles were produced." Robert Parker

Only about 2,000 bottles are filled every year by this noble Riserva. With a full aroma of black berries, balsamic nuances and spices and a full and clear taste, this great wine excellently combines finesse, elegance and softness. SUPERIORE.DE

"Powerful, radiant ruby with garnet. Opened with notes of ripe, small blackberries, some plum, behind which iodine and liquorice. Full-bodied and dense at the beginning and the end, fine dark berry fruit, opens with present, dense tannin, in the final after liquorice." Falstaff

"Moderately saturated ruby-red. Clean, flinty and characterized typically by darker fruit aromas and flavors than all of the other Cottanera red wines. Finishes with slow building but noble tannins and a multilayered quality. Zottorinotto evolves at a much slower pace than other Etna reds, so I’d suggest forgetting about this in your cellar for the next couple of years." Vinous

"What a nose with tulips, dried rose petals, burnt oranges, pomegranate, mandarins, cinnamon, tamarind and black pepper. So juicy and generous yet structured and serious, the beautiful red fruit driven along by well-poised acidity and sturdy tannins." James Suckling

"The 2014 Etna Rosso Riserva Zottorinoto is one of the stars in this exciting group of new releases from Etna. The wine is darkly saturated and powered by intense, territory-driven aromas. Wild cherry and cranberry emerge first with dark tones of crushed rock and camphor ash at the back. The mouthfeel is tight, elegant and very polished. This vintage shows a very tight and compact nature at its core that makes me think it will have a lot to offer as it continues its bottle evolution. Only 1,900 bottles were produced." Robert Parker