The 14 Insignia out of 750ml.
On the nose, very dark currant/cassis. Expresso roast, nice backing spices; vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove. Dark spice, black tea, red florals, violets, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, dry crushed rocks, black, rich soil, volcanic minerals and some black licorice.
The body is full. Tannins are big, rounded, sticky/chewy with a dusty dry long palate set. The fruits are ripe and less dark than the nose. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, cherries, dry crushed rocks, black, rich soil, volcanic minerals, black licorice, expresso roast, backing spices; vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove. Dark spice, black tea with bright red florals & violets. Good waterfall acidity. The structure, length, texture and balance are well executed. The finish is beautiful, floral fruits and lasts minutes.
The wine is starting to close down and should slumber for 15-20 years. — 7 years ago
14 March 2018. Beebe's, Astoria, NY. — 7 years ago
Does VERY well a decant, takes the brett( which actually like) out & smoothes the edges a bit. Dark dark black fruits, that volcanic minerality all through. Mild to mod tannins. Can match any food, just about- this time chicken w saffron, apricots; roasted brussel sprouts, & corn pudding w roasted garlic & sage — 7 years ago
I opened this bottle a few nights ago. It's still drinking nicely tonight but it does show that it's had a fair amount of air. The other night it was throwing huge amounts of coconut. Generally, a sign of a fair amount of American oak use. The wine is nicely resolved. Tannins are still present but are quite smooth. Ripe and juice blackberries with pancakes, blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries, violets, touch of lavender, dried red roses, coconut, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & a hint of vanilla, underbrush, granulated volcanic minerals, crushed dry rocks in rich, moist dark soil, black tea, black cherry cola/licorice, soft suede style leather, fresh tobacco leaf, beautiful acidity, length, smooth even tension & a nice balance of fruit & earth in the long, ripe, elegant finish that lasts over a minute. Maybe, 9.3 when the bottle was fresher but it's still very nice tonight. The 05 will drink well another 5-10 years easily...proper storage of course. — 9 years ago
I very much like this rose! — 9 years ago
Hit its stride after it was open for 30+ min, still had some great grip after 12 years. — 9 years ago
From the Mt. Etna region of Sicily from volcanic soil. Lovely, big mineral end. — 9 years ago
Cherry, some volcanic terroir showin through with spice on the nose. Nice tannins with good acid. — 10 years ago
Volcanic funkiness — 11 years ago
Like looking into the deep ridges of a black volcanic rock found in a nest of brush on the bluffs near the sea and seeing blackberries hiding in the grooves. — 6 years ago
Biodynamic, Mt. Etna, Sicily. Organic alberello, volcanic mineral soil. Naturale. Strawberry flowers and cherry Jollyranchers. — 7 years ago
Sea breeze and volcanic rock. 100% carricante, medium acid, beautiful salinity, minimal fruit but a lot of wet rock. Perfect shellfish wine. — 7 years ago
Medium body, beautiful quaffing. Not as volcanic or smoky as most productions from Etna but a good partner wine for stews. — 7 years ago
Don't be fooled by the recent rush of French wines to grace my palette. Those who know me know that I like to keep a Toscana or a Brunello around for good measure. But then @Kyle Harvey put the hard sell on Etna wines so I gave it a shot. From this point on, I will forever be on the lookout for more. The volcanic terroir and sun soaked mountainside make for the perfect climate to produce an exceptional wine. Comprised of 80% Mascalese and 20% Cappucio, the wine is remarkably well structured with loads of nuance. Fruits abound and silky tannins make this #Etna a banger. — 8 years ago
Enjoyed setting up the Christmas tree -December 2016 — 9 years ago
2011. Earthy. Ashy. Smokey. Everything you want from a volcanic wine. With tons of acid and tannins. Stands up to food like Tyson yet elegant to drink by itself. Love it! — 9 years ago
Tannins that bite, volcanic soils coming through — 9 years ago
Like biting into a big juicy strawberry. Delicious lush rosé! — 10 years ago
Lovely loft volcanic pumice obsidian silky power — 11 years ago
Volcanic. Passion fruit. Stank. — 12 years ago
Good to drink, good fruit with some clear volcanic notes. not as good as '16 or '15. — 7 years ago
Girolamo Russo “a’Rina” 2016 Etna Rosso 🇮🇹 $25
•
Nerello Mascalese (94%) and Nerello Cappuccio are the yin and yang of red grapes that grow exceedingly well in the wild and high altitude clime atop the Sicilian volcano #MountEtna.
•
A hell of a bargain at about $25 as this crushes most Bourgogne/Hautes-Cotes under $50 and would give pricier versions a run for their money. It is also more complex now and ready to consume when compared to many similarly priced, well made “Langhe” Nebbiolo wines. From the @coravin this was ready to go and opened up well with 10-15 minutes in the glass.
•
A youthful medium ruby color, fairly transparent. The nose suggests to me a red Burgundy, possibly a Beaune or Chassagne-Montrachet red from the wildness of the Etna character. A deep underpinning of rocky minerality, hints of ash, rose petal and purple florals, with dabs of red cherry and red plum fruit, sweet spices with hints of old leather jacket and unsmoked pipe tobacco. The palate is juicy and fresh, with refined, silky, ripe tannin that are youthfully firm. Excellent density and persistence, but light as a feather. Medium+ on the finish.
•
Etna red wines are commonly described as having similarities to nebbiolo from Piedmonte and pinot noir from Burgundy. There are for sure some similarities, but make no mistake that Etna wines, when made well, refract the wild and volcanic Etna terroir well and are genuine in their own right. •
The complex volcanic soils of Etna, combined with some of the highest elevations for vineyards in Europe at 3,000+ feet, can produce wines with immense complexity and freshness. A sense if refinement comes across in the density without excessive weight, allowing for transparency of terroir. Most vines are trained in the traditional bush-vine method, which works well in the rocky soils that see a lot of wind and sunlight at these high altitudes.
•
#GirolamoRusso #aRina #NerelloMascalese #NerelloCappuccio #EtnaRosso #Sicily #Italy #GiuseppeRusso #coravin #winesolutions #wine #winelover #somm #sommelier #instawine #wineporn #naturalwine #vinnaturel #winegasm #winegeek #vin #vino #vinos #vinhos #wein #ilovewine #winetasting #winetime — 7 years ago
Strange for an Etna Rosso, but delicious. Don't get nearly the volcanic minerality that I'd expect, but do get some red fruit and some gamay-like funk. — 8 years ago
Tart bing cherries, earth, volcanic ash. This is funky in the best way — 9 years ago
Ashy volcanic, bright acidity, red bright fruit on the nose. Med body, med p acid, delicate but dense texture, sour red plum on the end, hint of minerality and savoryness on the second palate. Paired with octo with bonemarrow fusili. I can see this can goes well with octo. — 9 years ago
This one needs a little time to open but after that you'll get aromas of cherries and just a hint of vanilla. Quite fruity with nice tannins, after thirty minutes you'll start to taste the dark fruits and volcanic herbs, if those kind of herbs even exist. — 9 years ago
Super smoky from volcanic island. Beautiful! — 10 years ago
Smooth palate, subtle aromas of Pinot Noir from Germany or Loire Valley but it's not, it's Nero d'Avola and Frappato on volcanic soils in Sicily. Simply amazing. — 11 years ago
Martinez
Delicious light-bodied volcanic red (100% Listan Negro, local workhorse grape of the Canary Islands) by rising star Borja Pérez. Tart, salty, smoky and very aromatic. Herbal notes. Nice spicy peppery finish — 6 years ago