Tornatore Etna Rosso Pietrarizzo 2021

Tornatore Etna Rosso Pietrarizzo comes from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, the highest and most active volcano in Europe. Francesco Tornatore recovered the vineyards his great-grandfather planted, working Nerello Mascalese on the dark volcanic soils that give Etna wines their unmistakable minerality. The mountain's altitude brings cool nights and a wide diurnal range, so the grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity, while the porous, ash-rich ground drains freely and stresses the vines into low, concentrated yields. The wine spends a year in concrete vats and wooden barrels, then three months in bottle. Concrete lets the wine breathe without adding oak flavour, keeping the fruit and stony character to the fore, while the time in wood settles the tannins. The result is pale ruby, lighter in colour than its structure suggests, with red berries, cherry, dried herbs and a smoky, earthy minerality that recalls warm stone. The palate is fresh and savoury, the tannins firm and fine, the finish long and saline. Serve at 16 degrees, decanted, with roast game birds, mushroom dishes or grilled meat.