Graci, ‘Feudo di Mezzo’ Etna Rosso 2014

Alberto Graci with sister Elena farm their vineyards on the north face of Mt Etna, at 600 – 660 m.a.s.l. at Arcuria, Passsopisciaro. 15 hectares are planted to Nerello Mascalese and 2.5 to Carricante and Catarratto. The most recent Etna eruption occurred in December 2015, and the threat of a serious eruption requires a certain outlook says Alberto “We are fatalists, we don’t care. It’s normal for us”. It is the complexity of the volcanic soils which contributes much to the unique minerality and elegance of the wines of Etna.

This single-vineyard wine, from a site just below Graci’s cantina, sees Nerello Mascalese blended with a small proportion of the darker, more brooding, Nerello Cappuccio. Structurally, this wine is bolder than their entry-level Rosso or intensely decadent Barbabecchi, but it seduces with ripe, smoky berry fruit and complex finish. Drink now to 2020.