2013 Theresa Eccher, Etna Rosso DOC “ER” Sicily, Italy.
This blend of Nerello Mascalese (80%) and Nerello Cappuccio (20%) from Theresa Eccher winery, by Daniela Conta (Theresa’s granddaughter) and her husband Andrea Panozzo is a classic and easy drinking Mount Etna red that highlights the volcano terroir with lovely spice, dusty earth and mineral charms to go with a medium body of bright red fruits. This wine was traditionally made with fermentation in stainless steel tank, temperature controlled, and raised in mostly in tank as well, though some get a little of used cask using old vines. Uniquely, Theresa Eccher winery, named after a historical figure from Trentino, sources wine from around Italy, with Conta and Panozzo putting together an interesting lineup that ranges from dry to sweet, from vineyards and regions they find intriguing without any ties to the region themselves, as well as a Lambrusco, as far as I can tell they started with Sicily in the 2011 vintage. While I normally try to review small estate wines, I really enjoyed this fairly dark Etna Rosso with a non working dinner and decided to dig into the producer, and while not much info is out there, the quality in the bottle shines and at $42 on a restaurant list it wasn’t an outrageous gouging and well worth the pleasure in the glass, especially with the wonderful seafood spaghetti nero at La Belena in Carmel by the Sea. The 2013 Theresa Eccher Etna Rosso DOC “ER” is silken with pretty mouth feel and delicacy on the palate, liken a fine Pinot Noir, it goes great with a variety of cuisine choices, it starts with flinty spices, dried flowers and tangy plummy notes which leads to a palate that gains with every sip adding cherry, raspberry, red pepper, minty anise and a touch of stony earth. The acidity is lifting, but silky and the sense of floral grace lingers on the finish, making for a friendly Sicilian red that hints at the exotic nature of the place, drink now.
($22-26 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive
