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 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