Wine Reviews

Warm and sanguine on the nose with aromas of cooked strawberries, sun-drenched bricks and tilled soil, the palate is even more intensely infused with strawberry flavor and earthy, meaty notes of iron and salt

The 2020 Animardente, 100% Nerello Mascalese. is pale garnet-purple in color. Notions of cranberries, Bing cherries, and damp soil spring from the glass, followed by hints of tobacco, dried herbs, and tar. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers pleasantly chewy tannins and bags of freshness to the bright red berry flavors, finishing savory.

Cherry red color with a garnet hue. It’s medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a fresh cherry, dried lemon and stone character. Crunchy and delicious. Hints of mineral and pumice at the end. Drink now.

Packaged in a heavy glass bottle, the Contrada Santo Spirito di Passopisciaro 2019 Etna Rosso Animardente offers dark fruit and medium rich concentration. That extra density is a characteristic of this classic vintage. The wine offers fine tannins and Etna-specific aromas of wild berry fruit, cassis, wild rose and ashy mineral. This wine boasts an approachable, open-knit style that would pair with grilled meats. Fruit comes from 70-year-old alberello (or bush-trained) vines at 700 meters above sea level with northeast exposures.

There’s a pleasing vibrancy to this harmonious red, with supple tannins and light acidity buoying flavors of dried strawberry and cherry, violet and anise. Darker base notes of sweet apple smoke and fig cake push through on the finish.