Collection: Nerello Mascalese

The great grape variety of northeastern Sicily takes its name from the Piana di Mascali, the plain that lies between Catania and the sea. While the variety can still be found there today, its most important plantings are located a good hour’s drive away and several hundred meters higher—on the slopes of Mount Etna. And they’ve been there for quite some time, as evidenced by the many vines still in production that were planted before the phylloxera era. Phylloxera vastatrix, the infamous louse that devoured tens of thousands of vineyards between 1865 and 1920 and nearly wiped out Europe’s vine stock, never made it up Etna’s slopes. As a result, many of the vineyards on the volcano are ancient and among the few in the world still growing without American rootstocks—the solution that saved viticulture everywhere else.

Ideally, wines made from this variety—often with a small percentage of Nerello Cappuccio—are elegant, mineral-driven, and finely structured, with a cool framework and crystal-clear aromas often composed of red berries, cherries and sour cherries, tobacco, leather, smoke, floral notes, herbs, and stone. No other Italian grape is currently making more headlines than Nerello Mascalese. Critics around the world are typically enthusiastic, praising it for qualities reminiscent of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.

We, however, haven’t always shared that enthusiasm. In many tastings over the years, the wines struck us at times as overly alcoholic, lacking focus, lacking energy, or simply too heavy-handed.
That said, after a long search, we believe we’ve found the winery that perfectly captures our vision of what Nerello Mascalese can be: SRC.