Aromas of baked black cherry, charred rosemary and dried rose. Medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins. Smoky and pleasantly savory on the palate. I like the lingering finish here. Delicious. Drink or hold.
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Sicily’s star is ascendant in the wine community, and it seems that when anyone looks at Sicily these days, their eyes are immediately drawn to the island’s most prominent topographic feature, the great volcano Mount Etna. Etna wines are almost as hot as the lava inside that peak, metaphorically speaking. Sicily has been well known as a major source of Italian wine forever, but until relatively recently it was viewed as a producer of bulk wines for export or cheap everyday wines. With the revolution in quality that has taken place on the island in the past decade, though, that reputation has been turned on its head, and Sicilian wines are being sought out by wine buyers and consumers—none more so than the wines of Etna.
The Tasca d'Almerita family, one of Sicily's oldest and most esteemed wine families, is now led by seventh generation Alberto Tasca. The family, who has been making wine across Sicily for over 200 years, is a leading producer of Etna wines at its Tenuta Tascante estate (the name is a portmanteau of Tasca and Etna). The estate was founded in 2007 with the purchase of two vineyards in the communes of Castiglione di Sicilia and Randazzo on the north face of the volcano. The northern exposure is a cool-climate area, due to the combination of elevation and less direct sun, which helps to retain acidity in the wines.
The Tasca family currently owns four parcels, located in the contrade of Pianodario and Sciaranova in Randazzo, and Rampante and Grasà in Castiglione. (A contrada is a small subdivision of a commune, based on various defining criteria such as elevation, cultural/historical significance, or the age of past lava flows.) The vineyards are mostly at elevations of 2,450 to 2,600 feet (750–800 meters) on the 11,000-foot mountain. All are certified as sustainable under SOStain, a Sicilian-based program that rates wineries and vineyards based on their impact on the environment, in conjunction with the Italian Ministry of the Environment’s VIVA indicators of sustainability.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Castiglione di Sicilia (Catania province), Sicily VINEYARD: Mount Etna, Sicily VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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94
AUGUST 2022
Tenuta Tascante “Ghiaia Nera” Etna DOC 2020
Aromas of baked black cherry, charred rosemary and dried rose. Medium-bodied with fine, silky tannins. Smoky and pleasantly savory on the palate. I like the lingering finish here. Delicious. Drink or hold. 93
OCTOBER 2021
Tenuta Tascante Contrada Pianodario Etna DOC 2017
A lovely red for a porcini recipe, the 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Pianodario reveals a delicate and silky fiber with a fine embroidery of red fruit, cassis, smoke, tar and pressed flowers. The Tasca take on Etna underlines purity and elegance, and there are few extra bells, whistles or other distractions. The wine brings you to the essence of the volcano with some hot-vintage ripeness and roundness. Pianodario is located in Randazzo on the northern side of Etna. 93
JUNE 2021
Tenuta Tascante Contrada Rampante Etna DOC 2017
The 2017 Contrada Rampante Etna Rosso is stunning from the first tilt of the glass, showing the ripe nature of the vintage, yet balancing it wonderfully against the smoky and savory characteristics of its source. Musky cherries, dried roses, crushed black stone and a complementary hint of charred wood can all be discerned. It’s silky and pliant in feel, with sweet red berries contrasted by zesty acids and minerals. While this may not be a Rampante for long-term cellaring, it still possesses a balanced display of fine tannins that frame the expression well. There’s so much pleasure to be found here today and over the next five to eight years. 94
AUGUST 2022
Tenuta Tascante Contrada Sciaranuova Etna DOC 2019
Aromas of red cherries, sliced strawberries and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied with subtle concentration that expresses an array of fresh black and red berries across the palate. Silky tannins. Fresh. Drink or hold. 94
OCTOBER 2019
Tenuta Tascante Contrada Rampante Etna DOC 2016
Made with vines planted at the dawn of the new millennium, the 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante comes from one of the best-performing parcels on the northern side of the volcano, where the topsoil (consisting of eroded volcanic stone and compacted ash) is a bit thicker and deeper compared to most other sites on the volcano. This allows for deep root systems and well-draining moisture. This wine shows a dark and compact nature with ripe fruit, dried blackberry, aniseed and camphor. Like the other wines in this series, this expression ages in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks for 12 months. Some 5,000 bottles were made. 92
OCTOBER 2021
Tenuta Tascante “Ghiaia Nera” Etna DOC 2019
Pouring from the bottle with a thin, light ruby color, the 2019 Etna Rosso Nerello Mascalese Ghiaia Nera is a finely textured wine. This delicate approach and those soft footprints make this bottle quite exciting to pour, especially as an easy companion to a homemade pasta dish. It offers wild cherry, tart berry, cassis, crushed stone, smoke and lavender essence. With 50,000 bottles produced, you get great value here. 94
OCTOBER 2023
Tenuta Tascante Contrada Sciaranuova Etna DOC 2019
A nose of wild strawberries and sour cherries has hints of graphite and crushed rocks and then tanned leather and grilled meat. The palate is bright and bouncy with strawberry-cherry flavor, a squeeze of blood orange and a salty kick. 91
NOVEMBER 2020
Tenuta Tascante “Ghiaia Nera” Etna DOC 2018
EDITOR'S CHOICE Aromas of toasted hazelnut, eucalyptus and violet lift out of the glass. Linear and elegant, the polished palate features Morello cherry, blackberry and hints of ground clove alongside lithe tannins and fresh acidity before a salty finish. Drink through 2025. |