CALDERARA Etna Rosso DOC

"Contrada Calderara" is located in Randazzo, approximately 750 meters above sea level, and boasts an incredibly rocky volcanic terroir rich in volcaniclastic deposits clearly visible on the surface, alternating with basalt. The unique terroir, particularly suited to Nerello Mascalese, on which the district lies, was created by lava flows dating back between 60,000 and 15,000 years. The name of the district itself, Calderara, refers to the heat that the black volcanic rocks retain during the day and then release into the earth during the cold nights.

Grapes harvested by hand in small crates arrive quickly at the winery where they undergo manual selection on the belt. Destemmed not totally crushed, they are sent to concrete tanks where they macerate for about 15-20 days at a temperature of 22°/25°. Daily, for several times a day, manual punching-downs are performed to the macerating grapes using a pneumatic punching-down machine. After fermentation is finished, the grapes are left to macerate for a few more days after which they are racked and gently pressed with a horizontal pneumatic press. The resulting wine rests, in 25 hl barrels, 18 months before bottling.

Dim ruby red, but bright. Intense hints of red fruit especially cherry, morello cherry, pomegranate, wild blackberry, complemented with slight hints of moss and underbrush. Surprising flavor balance that alternates between tannin with extremely sweet notes and silky, velvety notes perfectly integrated with those of wood. Overbearingly returning are the mineral hints of lava stone and brackish that timidly come through on the nose. Wine of great structure and longevity.