2018 Donnafugata Etna Sul Vulcano Etna Rosso

Community Tasting Notes (9) Median Score: 90 points

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  1/24/2024 - KingsleyZissou Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Grocery store Etna find. Was too curious to pass up.
  
  Impressed! Lovely for the price if not as expressive as the Etna Rosso I had a few days prior. Guessing the grape is also Nerello Mascalese but it may be a blend.
  
  A classic “90-pt” in that it’s well made and shows no objectionable elements, but also has very little complexity or character.
  
  Nose shows cherry, cola, vanilla, tomato leaf, warm spice, and a faint bit of rose petal. Less minerality than I’d expect for an Etna.
  
  Palate is nicely constructed, with a dominant moderate-plus acidity establishing freshness, and mild powdery tannin.
  
  Great weekday wine with pizza!

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  11/17/2023 - Kustjagr Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Just wow. I adore these rarer Italian grapes. The color indeed, as others said already, is deceptively light. But the aromas? Just wow! There's a lovely, jumpy immediacy novel to me. Or perhaps some Cesarene is similar. It might not be the most complex wine ever, but it sure is great. And above all, memorable. Beyond having minerals, something is just splendid. Like a rare type of acidicity. Which rather than being edgy, is tasty. My new favorite!

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  8/29/2023 - pilatus88 Likes this wine: 90 Points

  This is good qpr

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  5/15/2023 - CondorKhan wrote: 90 Points

  Super pale color, borderline rosé like Tavel.
  
  Violet, cherry on the noes. On the palate, cherry, licorice, minerals, juicy finish.
  
  Improves significantly with air, give it time.

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  3/18/2023 - glimmervoid wrote:

  Chateau Biawak Chapter 11: Exploring the Single Vineyards of Mt. Etna through Etna Rosso (Chateau Biawak, Singapore): 13.0% ABV. ‘Sul Vulcano’ is an assemblage of fruit coming from a range of contrade (a.k.a single vineyards) between Randazzo and Castiglione di Sicilia. This is mostly Nerello Mascalese but with a tiny tinge (confirmed by the winery to be less than 10%) of Nerello Cappuccio added in to make the wine more approachable in youth. The wine is aged partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in 2nd and 3rd use oak barrels for 14 months, followed by further ageing in the bottle for 12 months.
  
  The 2018 vintage on Etna was not without its challenges, with temperatures below, and rainfall well above, the region’s average. The dry spell in the weeks immediately before harvest was crucial for a full and balanced ripening, but careful hand-selection of the fruit was still needed given that a significant amount of berries had been damaged. The 2018 wines are the product of a restrained vintage, characterised by lower alcohol levels and gentle, filigreed aromatics.
  
  A nice light ruby colour in the glass, and on the first whiff you get a melange of primary red berry fruit - cherries, raspberries, cranberries, along with some floral tones, and some of these earth tones as well. Then on the palate, you get more of these berries, but with a nice baking spice tone as well. Great introduction of an entry-level Etna Rosso to get us started. This is straightforward and noncomplex, and it doesn’t get any better in the glass with time. It felt a wee bit on the acidic side when I was tasting it without food. It probably needs some food to go along with it to smoothen out the kinks.
  
  photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp9kKhZrkvY/

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