2025 Graci, Etna Rosato DOC, Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy.
The Graci Etna Rosato or Rosé of Nerello Mascalese is a delightfully refreshing dry and mineral driven wine that radiates pure terroir, while just being so enjoyable, quaffable and crisp, with smoky/flinty stones, rosewater, strawberry, tart cherry, spices and tangy bitter herbs. This ultra pale Rosé quenches the thirst, is lip smackingly good and delicately layered with a tight firm focus and light framed palate, perfect for rustic sea food dishes and warm afternoon sipping. I’ve always enjoyed this Graci offering, and it was great to taste the latest vintage and have it as an aperitif on an evening of a long and delicious Italian meal in New York, when I was there earlier this Spring. It was a pleasure, as noted in my previous review of Graci, over the course of a few days in New York and Chicago, to full explore the full lineup of current releases of Graci and meet the winemaker Alberto Graci, who guided me through his selections with equal parts of intensity and patience. Especially interesting was his old vine Nerello Mascalese reds from some small Contrada (single cru) terraces on Etna’s north side, but the whites and this Rosato were exceptional as well. His Enta IGT Rosso Contrada Barbabecchi, an all Nerello Mascalese cuvée, was my favorite, but this Arcurìa Sopra il Pozzo was a very, very close second and am now an even bigger fan of these wines and of Etna. The Rosato, picked from volcanic plots by hand is gently pressed, with a very short maceration, and naturally fermented and raised in concrete vats with an elevage of only 3 months before bottling to keep these fresh and vivid.
The Graci winery, as mentioned here in prior reviews, is led by the talented Alberto Aiello Graci, and is situated on the north slope of Mount Etna at Passopisciaro, which is located in a historical area where viticulture dates back several thousand years. Their vineyards sit at an altitude between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level on the volcanic soils, getting the cooling influences and the mineral intensity of tis unique terroir on Europe’s most active volcano. Graci is very passionate about his region and in his respect for local traditions as well as the distinct nature of each vintage and only cultivates traditional varieties indigenous to Mount Etna. The red grapes here include Nerello Mascalese, the main focus of the winery, and Nerello Cappuccio, and white grapes, such as Carricante, that Graci believes is one of the world’s greatest white varietals, and Catarratto. The cellar work here is clearly non Intervention of any kind, whenever possible, with Alberto seeking the most natural expressions as he can. Graci says, as noted before, that some of the vineyard sites are 1,000 meters high, or about 3,300 feet, which is the upward limit at which Nerello can ripen, or the cooler North side of the Volcano, and is Interspersed with olive and apple trees, as well as birds, bees and bugs, that fill the air with what he calls an industrious series of chirps and hums. This is a place, he continues, where it’s possible to have a balance between elegance and rusticity, which is a sensation that is hard to find anywhere place else in the world. Again thank you to Alberto Graci, for the time given me, Massanois, his importer, and to Lavagna Restaurant in New York for an amazing dinner, where this wine started the ball rolling on the occasion.
($29 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive