Girolamo Russo 2022 Etna Rosato

Region: Sicily, Italy

Appellation: Etna Rosato DOC

Grapes: 100% Nerello Mascalese

Farming: Certified Organic

Age of vines: Planted between 1920 and 2005

Altitude & Soil Type: 725 M, volcanic

Typical Harvest Time: First week of October

Maceration & Fermentation: 4 hours maceration, controlled low temperature fermentation in steel tanks with indigenous yeasts

Aging: 6 months in stainless steel, on the lees

Finishing: Sterile filtered

Production: 5,000 bottles annually

Made entirely of old-vine Nerello Mascalese grown in the San Lorenzo contrada. The grapes are harvested manually at the beginning of October; the whole bunches are pressed, which takes about five hours, allowing for some extraction of color and flavor from the skins. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, using indigenous yeasts, at controlled temperature. The wine is then aged in tank for about six months, then filtered and bottled. About fifteen thousand bottles are produced each vintage.

Nerello Mascalese makes great rosé here on Etna, one of the best in Italy. This one shows the classic aromas and flavors of watermelon and strawberries, with maybe a hint of true cinnamon; on the palate it is very fresh, and the balance between acidity and fruit depth is very attractive. This is a versatile food wine, I drink it with salmon, roast chicken, pork, tacos, or if you are lucky, Giuseppe’s mother’s Pasta alla Norma, which is indescribably good. Lesser rosés need to be drunk up before the end of the following year, but not wines like this, which improve with up to a year or two of age and keep well beyond that.

Giuseppe Russo had been studying to be a pianist when his father Girolamo died unexpectedly in 2005. He then came back home to Mount Etna to take over the family vineyards. Since that time he has been organically farming these old vines, some of them more than 100 years old, and he has restored the old cellar under his house. He has 15 hectares of vines on the North side of Etna, around the town of Passopisciaro, including pieces of some famous ‘contrade’, as the historic localities are known here. For Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo lovers, Nerello Mascalese is an exciting discovery. It can produce reds of impressive subtlety and structure, drinkable when young and even better with a few years of age. 

Giuseppe’s vineyards are planted on ancient lava flows called ‘sciare,’ which vary in age, mineral content and topsoil composition, with underground pockets that allow water retention to keep the vines hydrated during the heat of the summer. The solid rock of these lava flows breaks down over time, eventually becoming loose enough that a plant’s roots can penetrate. All of the Etna DOC is at relatively high elevation for red wines, more than 500 meters above sea level; to some extent the elevation counteracts the effect of latitude, in terms of the mesoclimate around the vineyards. 

Russo makes a range of Etna red wines, all made almost entirely of Nerello Mascalese. A’Rina is his estate wine, made mostly from fruit from his younger vines. Then he produces five wines from single ‘contrade,’ San Lorenzo, Feudo, Calderara Sottana, Feudo di Mezzo, and Feudo di Mezzo ‘Piano delle Colombe.’ Russo also makes an Etna Rosato from Nerello Mascalese and two Etna Bianco bottlings made mostly of Carricante, with other local white varieties. In the years that we have been dealing with Giuseppe these wines have gone from afterthoughts to excellent, and I find whites and rosés from Etna to be among the best wines of their type in all of Italy. 

Notes from the importer: Giuseppe Russo is a quiet thoughtful man, formerly a pianist. Since 2005 he has been organically farming his family's old vineyards, many of the vines around 100 years of age, and he is restoring the old cellar under his house. He has 15 hectares of vines on the North side of Etna around the town of Passopisciaro. For Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo lovers, Nerello Mascalese is an exciting find — it can produce reds with impressive delicacy as well as those with great structure. Russo’s a’Rina is a blend of grapes from younger vines. Vineyards are planted on ancient lava flows, all varying in age and mineral content This red is juicy, complex, and delicious. Fabulous with pasta dishes, seafood, and grilled light meats.