Category: Tasting Notes

Deep garnet-ruby color; dark cherry, plum, blackcurrant, raspberry, minerality, pepper, oak, vanilla, leather, earth, smoke on the nose and palate.

Dry; medium-plus, grippy tannin balanced by high acidity. Bold, full body, earthy, assertive. Made with nerello mascalese grapes grown in the volcanic soil on the north side of the Mount Etna volcano near the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia. Grapes manually harvested, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, full malolactic fermentation (conversion), then aged for minimum of nine months in French oak tonneaux. 14% ABV

Nerello mascalese is a very dark-skinned grape grown almost exclusively on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna. The soil provides nerello mascalese’s signature minerality. It sometimes is compared with pinot noir, but more assertive, bold and tannic. Also compared to zinfandel with its dark fruitiness, but bottom line is it is its own wine with a distinctive, rich, burly character. Distinctive. Fully expresses the terroir of Mount Etna. Improves with air exposure, consider decanting.

Firriato, located in the rustic countryside outside Trapani, Sicily, has long been advocate for relaunching Sicily’s ancient vines, such as nerello mascalese. The winery takes its name from the rural culture of western Sicily. The term “firriato” refers to the close area around the main house. In Italian the term means “enclosed.” That said, these grapes come from the northeastern end of the island on the shoulders of Mount Etna, the defining element of Sicily.

The website notes: “The classical notion nomen est omen, that is the theory that a name can have a significant role in determining key aspects of something or someone, has proved right once more, because the FIRRIATO wine production takes inspiration from the French term clos and Piedmont term girato. Behind a great wine there is always a great wine-producing territory with characteristic soil and climate conditions. All of Firriato’s agricultural estates have a distinguishing feature connected with the exposure, microclimate, soil composition or ventilation. Each one expresses its own identity. This diversity is an asset that must be protected and enhanced from soil to bottle.”

Firriato Cavanera Rovo Delle Coturnie Etna Rosso, Sicily 2018 is rich, distinctive, big from classic Mount Etna grape. Fulsome dark red flavor parade; impressive length. Firm, lingering tannins. Big boy red wine vividly reflects minerality and power of Sicilian red wine. Pair with rich beef dishes, grilled steaks, barbecue; lamb; pasta dishes with tomato sauces; seafood—grilled sardines, fish stew; grilled vegetables—eggplant, mushrooms; poultry in tomato sauces; pork with rich sauces. Cheese—excellent with Sicilian cheeses pecorino Siciliano, caciocavallo; chèvre, ricotta, mozzarella, burrata, fontina, asiago, havarti; hard/aged cheese—provolone, bruyère, comté; gorgonzola, brie, camembert. $37

Firriato website

Firriato website