Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

Etna: two fine reds

Posted on 25 July 2010

During my stay on the Etna last summer (read here) I picked up a few bottles to taste at home and get a more complete picture of this very exciting vineyard zone in Sicily. Its superbly mineral red wines provided some welcome refreshment in the scorching summer heat we’re experiencing here in Poland this year. 

The estate of Emanuele Scammacca del Murgo is arguably Etna’s most historical one, going back to the mid-19th century when baron Murgo was one of the renowned bottlers of Etna wine. Consisting now of three independent vine allotments in various zones of the volcano, the Murgo winery has taken a slightly different approach than most of its neighbours, and focuses on the production of inexpensive everyday wines; there’s no prestige cuvée and the most expensive red here, the one I’m drinking, is only 11€. (There is also a trio of very interesting méthode champenoise sparkling wines made of the red Nerello Mascalese grape).

So how’s the Murgo Etna Rosso 2007? It’s a very typical Etna red in colour – which is fairly light –, aroma and flavour. Fresh and zesty with bitter cherry fruit, dried Mediterranean herbs and that unmistakeable sweet Oriental spice signature of Nerello. It’s a red with a real sense of minerality, unoaked, transparent, cool and stoney. With firm tannins and high acidity on the finish, it’s a little challenging at this stage without food, but is well-balanced with a sense of drinkability. Fairly low alcohol. A fairly simple wine, and for a while I regretted the good people from Murgo make no more ‘ambitious’ bottling, but after all it’s a welcome choice: inexpensive, supremely drinkable and with a sense of place, it’s unfair to ask more of this wine.

Speaking of ‘ambition’, it’s surely what characterises my second wine: Passopisciaro 2006. Founded by the notorious Andrea Franchetti whose Tuscan wines from the Tenuta di Trinoro have gathered massive critical attention, it’s a sky-is-the-limit interpretation of Etna red wine. 80- to 100-year-old bush vines on remote terraces on Etna’s northern, mountain-cool, arid slope, minimal yields and state-of-the-art vinification yield a wine of stunning intensity and personality. 

(There are two versions of this label, some saying ‘Passopisciaro’ below the vintage, but I’m told by the estate the wine is exactly the same).


The colour is almost shockingly light and the nose is meaty, spicy, only faintly fruit with plenty of mineral depth. The first sip on palate is just outstanding. Quite round and ripe (it’s 14.5% alc. in this warm vintage, but well-balanced), it is typical of red Etna in being moderate in acidity but beguilingly refreshing and very digest. Balsamic texture and impressive length add to the picture. In that silkiness and puréed fruit richness, this vaguely resembles a Grenache-based wine from the Rhône or Languedoc, and is similarly elegant to a traditional-style Châteauneuf, but has more poise and those crystalline tannins of the Etna.

This wine costs 30€ (it can be picked up e.g. at the Catania airport). While a bit expensive by Sicilian standards, it is definitely worth it; a Burgundy or Châteauneuf of similar stature would set you twice that. Delicious and supremely drinkable, but layered with a real sense of dimension, this is just great wine.
Disclaimer
Source of wines: own purchases.

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