2016 Terra Costantino deAetna Etna Rosso DOC Sicily

“I am for sure buying a case of this wine.”

At Wine Access HQ, when Master Sommelier Sur Lucero casually declares that he’s buying a case of something he just tasted, every head turns to see which wine he’s referring to. After years of working the floor at Michelin three-star The French Laundry and The Restaurant at Meadowood, among other notable Napa restaurants, he’s tasted and enjoyed some of the world’s most coveted wines.

The bottle that elicited the above remark is a really stunning red that possesses the warmth of Grenache but delivers a kind of crushed volcanic rock and a texture a bit more like Pinot Noir. The 2016 Terra Costantino deAetna Etna Rosso from Sicily is “just not what you think when you think Sicily,” says Lucero. Vines planted on eastern and south-eastern exposures on Mt. Etna are treated to more sunlight hours, translating to “a deep richness and resolved tannins,” Lucero explains, “landing somewhere between the elegance of Barbaresco and warm vintage red Burgundy. Warm and perfectly ripe red cherry mingles with slightly dried raspberry and smashed cranberry in a medium-bodied wine.” 

Given the 93-point score from James Suckling and the wine’s $24 price tag, this is that red steal that Burgundy and Italian red lovers have been holding out for. 

From an elevation of 1,800 ft. in the heart of the Etna DOC, the humble 24-acre Terra Costantino estate belies the power, depth, and richness of what makes it into a bottle of wine produced by father-son duo Dino and Fabio Costantino. Here, vines are teased by the Ionian Sea’s salty breezes and treated to ample rays of high midday sun where native Etna varieties like Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio ripen to perfection.

The 2016 deAetna Etna Rosso is a blend of the aformentioned varieties, with Nerello Mascalese making up 90 percent of the blend. The vines average 35 years of age, are farmed organically, and their delicate grapes are destemmed and cold-soaked for 10 days with occasional pump-overs. Aged in both stainless steel and neutral oak barrels, the resulting red is truly something to behold, with a polished, warm core to the fruit and that crushed volcanic rock backdrop infused with rose petal perfume.

When your guests are complimenting you over and over on this fantastic red, go ahead and take the credit for such a savvy find.  

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 13.50%
• 30 mins
• Now – 2027
• 90% Nerello Mascalese10% Nerello Cappucio
• Serving temperature – 62°
• Cork