2016 Etna Rosso “Sciare Vive” • Vigneti Vecchio  $36.00

Carmelo Vecchio and his wife, Rosa La Guzza, were raised in the heart of the vineyards on Mount Etna. From barely one hectare of vines up to 130 years old inherited from Rosa’s family, this rosso represents their first vintage in bottle. It is a product of sustainable farming by hand, with the goal of achieving an elegant balance in the grapes; micro-vinifications in the tiny cellar beneath their home, with respect for tradition and terroir; and aging in used barrels before bottling without fining or filtration. This Nerello Mascalese includes about ten percent co-fermented indigenous whites and reds. Gentle treatment in the cellar and an unfiltered bottling yielded this delicate, silky volcanic beauty—a finely knit gem with an intoxicating perfume of cherry and the slightest trace of fuming crater.

2016 Cannonau di Sardegna “Barrosu” • Giovanni Montisci  $55.00

The village of Mamoiada lies in the heart of the Gennargentu, a mountain range far removed from the postcard-worthy rocky coves and turquoise waters that make up Sardinia’s spectacular coastline. This high above sea level, nighttime temperatures reach icy lows, creating a long and steady growing season for the small plots of stubby, twisted old Cannonau vines that dot the rustic landscape. Giovanni Montisci cultivates two hectares of vineyards in the granite soils here, which he farms organically (tilled by bull!) and tends like little gardens. Naturally fermented, aged in large casks, and bottled unfiltered, his 2016 “Barrosu”—a local word for someone who is brazen or bold—shows just what Mamoiadan Cannonau is capable of achieving. Imposing as its name suggests, this imperial red recalls wild strawberry, juniper, and Mediterranean scrubland. Lovers of Barolo and Châteauneuf—or the venerable wines of Quintarelli—will not want to miss it.

2015 Alghero Cagnulari “Arsenale” • Vigne Rada  $32.00

Vigne Rada is a young estate founded by Gino Bardino, a former banker who quit his office job to follow his dream of making wine. Gino and his family built a modest winery and began to plant vineyards on the slopes outside their home of Alghero, a colorful city on Sardinia’s northwest coast still distinguished by the cultural influence of fourteenth-century Catalan colonists. The folks at Vigne Rada grow only varieties traditional to the area, including Cagnulari. Related to Spain’s Graciano grape, it is likely an import from that period of Catalan occupation. With a pungent aroma of tobacco, graphite, roasted spices, menthol, and eucalyptus along with thick, dense, juicy tannins, there is nothing else quite like it.

2015 Etna Rosso “I nove fratelli” • Masseria del Pino  $40.00

Catania natives Cesare Fulvio and Federica Turillo left their city jobs to cultivate the two hectares of terraced vineyards at Contrada Pino, elevation 800 meters. They renovated the property’s ancient palmento, a traditional farmhouse featuring an old press and large fermentation vats made of lava stone, and began farming the 120-year-old pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines organically and biodynamically. The grapes are stomped by foot in the vats, ferment spontaneously, then the wine ages in neutral barrels before an unfiltered bottling.
      This profound Etna Rosso is richly flavored with black cherry, balsamic spices, and a volcanic smokiness. Its intensely gripping, yet silty-fine tannin is a trademark of wines from Contrada Pino. Cesare proudly remembers when an elderly local peasant identified his red in a blind tasting: “This wine hails from Contrada Pino!” the man exclaimed. For Cesare and Federica, there could be no better compliment.