2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

with No Comment $70-$80ItalyKevin VogtRosso

Idda

Etna Rosso
Sicily, Italy 2023

2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

Great wines are often born from a singular vision. Rarely are they shaped by two that move in complete accord. IDDA unites Italian icon Angelo Gaja with the Graci family, whose work has helped define Etna’s modern ascent. The 2023 Etna Rosso proves this is more than collaboration. It is convergence, capturing the volcano’s raw mineral force and refining it through discipline.

Etna is anything but passive. Its soils, layered with ancient lava and ash, are mineral-rich and naturally free-draining, compelling vines to root deep into volcanic stone. In Biancavilla, on the southwest slope, IDDA farms at an elevation where light is intense and ripening deliberate. The 2023 reflects that terrain with precision, offering red-toned fruit, savory nuance, and a structural spine that feels inseparable from the black earth beneath it.

The architecture points toward longevity. Acidity remains vivid, tannins composed, fruit tightly knit within a persistent mineral core. Time will bring further dimension, yet even now the wine carries authority. It presents Etna as one of Italy’s most serious and distinctive terroirs, rendered with intent.

Idda
Etna Rosso
Sicily, Italy 2023

Your Price: $79.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

The aromas of cranberries, pears, honeysuckle and other white flowers are enticing. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh, bright finish. A little closed now but already very enjoyable. Drink or hold.”

94 Points

NV Derafica Grotta Del Gelo Etna Rosso DOC Sicily Italy

NV Derafica Grotta Del Gelo Etna Rosso DOC Sicily Italy

with No Comment $30-$40ItalyKevin VogtRosso

Serafica

Grotta Del Gelo
Etna Rosso DOC
Sicily, Italy NV

NV Derafica Grotta Del Gelo Etna Rosso DOC Sicily Italy

High on the southern slopes of Mount Etna, where molten rock meets chilled alpine air, Serafica’s Grotta del Gelo Etna Rosso captures the elegance born from hardship. The vines root deep into fractured basalt, their struggle translating into purity and precision. It’s a red that feels both elemental and precise, channeling the power of Sicily’s most extreme terroir into a wine of haunting elegance.

Grotta del Gelo distills Etna’s raw, shifting energy into harmony. Although bottled non-vintage, this wine hails from the 2021 vintage and is drawn from vines perched nearly 900 meters above sea level. Days drenched in Sicilian sun ripened the fruit to vivid concentration, while cool nights sculpted vibrant mountain purity and freshness. 

This wine’s core of Nerello Mascalese brings precision and lift, while Nerello Cappuccio adds depth and spice, their partnership weaving a tapestry of red currant, tobacco leaf, and crushed herbs. Its tannins are polished but resolute, as though shaped by wind and stone. It’s a wine that feels composed, orchestrated by nature and refined by hand.

Serafica
Grotta Del Gelo
Etna Rosso DOC
Sicily, Italy NV

Your Price: $38

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Serafica Grotta del Gelo Etna Rosso is composed predominantly of fruit from the 2021 vintage, and paints a picture of its volcanic origin with aromas of graphite and pencil lead, juicy red and black cherries, pomegranate, dried herbs, savory spices, and sunbaked clay. On the palate, the wine is bright with juicy, red fruits, truffles, cracked pepper, and a mineral-driven tension balanced by smooth, velvety tannins. The wine’s concentration and complexity unwind as the wine opens up and reveals more and more with a friendly approachability.”

94 Points

2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

with No Comment $30-$40ItalyKevin VogtRosso

FEDERICO GRAZIANI

FEDEGRAZIANI ETNA ROSSO
SICILY, ITALY 2018

2018 Federico Graziano Fedegraziani Etna Rosso Sicily Italy
Federico Graziani won best Italian sommelier in 1998 at the Italian Association of Sommeliers competition at 23 years of age, allowing him to work with some of Italy’s most influential chefs while earning a degree in Viticulture and Enology in 2006. That same year, Federico was ready to make wine from Sicily’s Mt. Etna, so he contacted famed enologist and Etna expert Salvo Foti for help finding old head-trained vines near the mountain’s base.
 
Interestingly, the Etna DOC shares similarities to Burgundy with a likeness in soil diversity, differing aspects, and the age of the vineyards. These vineyards wrap around the volcanic mountainsides, providing wines with intense minerality, concentration, and complex nuance. Federico’s 2018 Fedegraziani Etna Rosso has won critical acclaim and is on the wine lists of some of the world’s finest restaurants, including, Geranium and Osteria Francescana.
 
FEDERICO GRAZIANI
FEDEGRAZIANI ETNA ROSSO
SICILY, ITALY 2018
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Typical Etna style with light color, but lots of red-berry and mineral aromas and flavors, packed into a medium body with graceful, well-integrated tannins and lots of bright-berry flavor on the tight finish. Nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio. Nor overly complex, but well defined and true. Drinkable now, but best from 2023.”
91 Points
2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT

2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT

with No Comment ItalyKevin VogtRosso

CAPO ZAFFERANO

ROSSO APPASSIMENTO
PUGLIA IGT 2020

2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT
Capo Zafferano is proud to represent the rich traditions of Apulia in the Salento region in the heel of Italy’s boot. The area’s ancient soils and long, warm growing seasons are the ideal environment for varietals such as Negroamaro and Primitivo, known for their deep, dark colors, intense flavors, and high tannin levels equally balanced with fresh, natural acidity.
 
Appassimento is the process of naturally, partially drying the grapes on the vine to give a greater concentration of colors, aromas, and flavors. The grapes for the 2020 Rosso Appassimento dried on the vine for 15 days, and the wine is a blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Merlot to help soften the structure for a more approachable wine. 
 
CAPO ZAFFERANO
ROSSO APPASSIMENTO
PUGLIA IGT 2020
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Capo Zafferano 2020 Rosso Appassimento opens with intense aromas of blackberry, black cherries, prune, gingerbread, dried thyme, and freshly ground coffee beans. On the palate, the wine has pronounced flavors of black plum, prune, cinnamon, mocha, and dark chocolate. The fine-grained tannins and ripe fruit flavors are beautifully balanced by high acidity and lead to a long, lush finish.”
95-96 Points Anne Sewell, WSET Diploma Candidate
2017 Podere La Pace Pittoresco Maremma Toscana Rosso

2017 Podere La Pace Pittoresco Maremma Toscana Rosso

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtRossoTuscany

PODERE LA PACE

2017 PITTORESCO
MAREMMA TOSCANA ROSSO

2017 Podere La Pace Pittoresco Maremma Toscana Rosso
Maremma is Tuscany’s newest DOC; Located South of Bolgheri and extending to the Tuscan Coast, the region’s Mediterranean climate, significant diurnal temperature shifts, and well-drained sandy clay loam soils produce remarkable fruit. Paragons Brancaia and Fattoria Le Pupille have set a precedence of quality in Maremma, with high 90s scores and multiple features on Top 100 lists. Still, the cost of land and production is lower than neighboring Bolgheri and Montalcino, so there are some incredible values, case in point this stunning 91 point Super Tuscan at just $25. 
 
Podere La Pace’s seven hectares of organically vineyards are heavily influenced by the Gulf of Follonica and Calcareous and clayey soils. The small size of their Estate allows their team the opportunity to farm each vine individually, without compromise, and with the strictest quality standards. 
 
This wine is named Pittoresco for the temperament of the sculptor and painter Marianita Valdinoci. The 2017 vintage was sculpted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc and formed to beautifully express the fresh fruit, depth, and energy. 
 
PODERE LA PACE
2017 PITTORESCO
MAREMMA TOSCANA ROSSO
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“A subtle, fruity red from this hot vintage that delivers berries, hazelnuts and hints of walnuts. Rather reserved and not overdone. Firm tannins. Drink or hold.”
91 Points
 
“A chromatic gleam immediately strikes the eye with a rich ruby red tinged with purplish hues. The fruity aroma adequately expresses the grapes’ perfect maturation through hints of ripe plum, blackberry and currant. The time spent aging in French durmast oak adds a complexity and structure that smoothly round off the aromatic bouquet”
2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtRossoSangioveseTuscany

LIVIO SASSETTI

MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016 

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina
The Sassetti family is one of the top producers of Sangiovese-based wines in Tuscany. It’s their dedication to their land and ability to identify new plots capable of producing world-class fruit that has been a key to their success. Their Montecucco Rosso comes from an organically farmed 12-hectare vineyard in Southern Tuscany, and in all honesty, it drinks better than a lot of good $50 Brunellos. Vinous describes the 2016 release as “gorgeous and an amazing value,” and at $28, I bet you’ll wish you had ordered more once you taste it.
 
Montecucco neighbors Montalcino, and most of its seven villages are on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Italy’s second-highest volcano. The soils there are of volcanic origin and produce powerful Sangiovese Grosso fruit that’s concentrated, vibrant, and unique to Montecucco. 
 
Livio Sassetti’s Montecucco Rosso is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, the same grape used for Brunello. The winemaking team aged the 2016 vintage for just six months in barrel, preserving the fruit’s vibrancy, and now with sufficient time in the bottle, this vintage is stunning.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The bouquet is dark and earthy in the best possible way, as savory herbs give way to crushed black cherry, encased in an air of smoky minerals, sous-bois, and hints of animal musk. The 2016 La Querciolina Montecucco Rosso then floods the palate with silky textures, offset by cool-toned red fruits and minerals, riding a core of brisk acids. It finishes with medium length yet brimming with energy, as a mix of savory spice and minerality slowly tapers off, leaving just a hint of dried cranberry. This is gorgeous and an amazing value. Drink 2020-2026”
93 points
 
“A firm and silky red with berries and a hint of chocolate. Some coffee, too. Medium body, firm yet polished tannins and a fresh finish. Drink now.”
91 Points
2018 Castello Romitorio Rosso Di Montalcino Italy

2018 Castello Romitorio Rosso Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtRosso

CASTELLO ROMITORIO

2018 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

2018 Castello Romitorio Rosso Di Montalcino Italy
Rosso di Montalcino from a great producer can offer immense value, and provide one of the purest and most vivid interpretations of Sangiovese Grosso grape. Rossos require only one year of age before release, which often results in a fresher and more vibrant Sangiovese that can also be enjoyed young. Castello Romitorio Brunello gets monster scores, and they fashioned their Rosso from younger vines on the Estate. And, they made it with the same exacting standards that make their Brunellos so great. At about 1/2 the price of their Brunello, the value is abundant.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages, and through time, transitioned from a temple to a fortress, a monastery, a castle, a Manor House, and now, lucky for us, a winery… 
 
Located northwest of Montalcino’s town, the vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed. Their 2018 Rosso is robust, vibrant, and unleashes a flurry of concentrated red and blue fruits, rose garden, and intriguing spice. 
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO
2018 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2018 Castello Romitorio Rosso di Montalcino takes time to blossom in the glass, yet it is totally worth the wait. A pretty and understated display of cherry and strawberry mixed with dusty earth, roses and hints of undergrowth opens nicely. Soft, silky textures flood the palate with ripe red and hints of blue fruit, sweet yet perfectly contrasted by saline-minerality, along with hints of fine tannin that slowly mount toward the close. The finish is remarkably long, as notes of dried wild berries, blueberry skins and hints of violet florals linger.” 91 Points
 
 
“Limpid garnet color, translucent. Appetizing nose so typical for Sangiovese: the tangy aroma of Marasca cherry. With increasing bottle age, this cherry fruit turns from fresh and crisp to mellow and dried, in the young wines the fruit is pristine, varying in intensity with each vintage. The body is sinewy and bone-dry: not a prettified, mollified Sangiovese but a wine as rugged as the land. There is fine, bright acidity and a lovely tannic grip. This has impact but is not heavy. A little age sits wonderfully on this rustic charmer: bottle age will give you scents of leather, wild thyme and polished wood.” Anne Krebiehl MW
2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino

2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtMontalcinoRossoTuscany

LIVIO SASSETTI 2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino

2015 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

 
Ever wonder why Rosso di Montalcino is so much less expensive than Brunello di Montalcino?  After all, they’re both produced from 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes grown in the Italy’s iconic Montalcino region.  While legal requirements dictate that Brunello is aged for two years in oak and 4 months in bottle, they are typically aged for a total of 50 months total before release.  Rosso’s are only required to be aged for one year before release, often resulting in a fresher, more vibrant red that can be enjoyed young.  A gorgeous example is from Livio Sassetti and I always jump at the chance to taste any wine from an Iconic producer of Brunello.  Their Brunello is one of the best in the shop and scored 98 Points and is also a favorite of Robert Parker. Antonio Galloni wrote that Livio Sassetti is “One of Italy’s finest.”   At under thirty per bottle, their Rosso is an excellent value.
 
Absolutely hands-on in every way possible, each individual wine produced by Livio Sassetti is hand-tended by Livio and his two sons.  With attention to every detail, their 2015 Rosso is stacked with concentrated red cherries, black plum and intermixed are detailed notes of dried rose petals, violets and spice rack.  I strongly recommend securing your case… You’ll be seriously glad you did.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
2015 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl 
 
Winery Notes: “Ruby red color with purple hues. Deep black plum, cassis, violet, fresh dark earth and herb flavors flow on a silky palate to a deliciously long, velvety finish.”
 
Customers who enjoy Livio Sassetti Rosso di Montalcino may also enjoy these two terrific Italian wines…
2013 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino 2013 Salcheto Vino Nobile Di Montelpulciano
LIVIO SASSETTI
2013 PERTIMALI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at:  $80.00/btl
 
Your Price: $69.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From James Suckling: “This is intense and complex yet subtle with fantastic aromas of rose petal, plum, clove and fresh mushroom. Hints of stems. Full body, focused and polished with a linear line of tannins and fabulous length. A beauty. Better after 2021 but already a joy to taste.” 98 Points
SALCHETO
2013 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE DI MONTELPULCIANO
SANGIOVESE BLEND
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From Vinous: “... Powerful and ample, with tons of depth, the 2013 is impressive. Fresh dark cherry, spice, licorice and menthol notes abound in this vibrant, beautifully resonant Vino Nobile…. In a word: superb!”  94 Points