“Contrada Diciasettesalme oltre la Ferrovia” Rosso Etna DOC 2022

Cottanera | Sicily
Cottanera S.r.l. Agricola | Via XVII Luglio 34 | IT 98100 Messina

19232422 · 0,75 l · 61,33 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

An old, disused railway line runs through the countryside of Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna. It no longer goes anywhere – the rails are rusting, the land is slowly becoming overgrown. But it still exists as a border. It separates the Contrada Cottanera from the Contrada Diciasettesalme. And it gives this wine its precise geographical name: "beyond the railway". Diciasettesalme is one of the oldest vineyard names in Etna viticulture. Its name comes from a historical Sicilian unit of measurement – the salma, an area that a mule could plough in one day. Seventeen of these correspond to around 25 hectares. On this land, Nerello Mascalese grows on black lava sands and clay-rich volcanic soils at an altitude of 750 to 800 metres – one of the coolest and most exposed sites in the entire appellation area.

The Cambria family, which has been at Cottanera for three generations, has defined the "oltre la Ferrovia" selection as a wine in its own right: the best grapes from the western part of the Contrada, away from the railway, with a vinification that reflects the complexity of the terroir. Gentle destemming, 30 days of maceration at a controlled temperature with regular pumping over, malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. 2022 was a dry, sunny year on Etna with a good temperature amplitude between day and night – the conditions for dense, mineral-rich Nerello Mascalese.

Intense, bright ruby red colour. On the nose, fresh black cherry, dried blackberry, mallow, thyme, juniper – with mineral undertones and the characteristic volcanic flint that makes Etna so unmistakable. Structured on the palate, carried by balanced tannins, with a long, balsamic note on the final. A cru that claims its very own place on the intellectual map of Etna viticulture and fully deserves it – and fully deserves it. SUPERIORE.DE