Perched on the east side of the island of Sicily, Mount Etna is an 11,000-foot active volcano, offering dramatic landscapes that are wonderfully suited to viticulture. Vines painstakingly cling to its steep slopes of sedimented lava flows (sciare), sun-drenched and tempered by the cool breezes of the Ionian Sea.
This is where a few small producers meticulously craft wines with a handful of indigenous grapes, at considerable altitude levels. The reds are made with Nerello Mascalese and tiny amounts of Nerello Capuccio, and the whites with Carricante and other local varietals such as Cataratto and Inzolia. The past few decades have seen viticulture blossom, and the area has now attracted prestigious names eager to contribute their expertise to the regional efforts.
Giuseppe Russo, a concert pianist and a literature Ph.D. came back home to rejuvenate his father Girolamo’s storied vineyards in Passapisciaro, on the northern side of the volcano. Early on, he adopted the philosophy of Marc de Grazia from Tenuta delle Terre Nere. Among the first to envision the true potential of the area, de Grazia favors a site-specific approach, in pursuit of the distinctiveness of each single vineyard (contradas in the Sicilian dialect). Russo credits him as a real mentor.
Sitting at 780 meters above sea level, San Lorenzo is the highest elevation vineyard of the Russo estate. It produces wines of notable depth and precision, with a fresh profile and cool-climate character. Sour cherry, violet and balsamic notes linger through the clean finish.
Produced in just 750 bottles annually, the micro-cuvée Piano delle Colombe shows the same qualities with heightened definition and concentration. Grapes are picked from the central part of San Lorenzo, in an especially favorable section where wild doves (colombe, in Italian) are known to feast first.
Calderara Sottana and Feudo produce the lighter of Russo’s contrada wines, both exhibiting mineral notes mingling with strawberry and spice notes. Wines from Feudo di Mezzo, a lower-altitude vineyard of volcanic sand, home to Russo’s oldest vines (100-year-old), display pronounced hints of ash and smoke beneath layers of sun-dried tomatoes and currant – a true reflection of the unique soils it is made on.
Nerina is made from white grapes from different parcels of the estate. Bright and lean, unoaked, it offers discrete pear and white flower notes with a salinity that speaks eloquently of the surrounding sea winds.
The wines of Girolamo Russo beautifully showcase Sicily’s uniqueness as a wine-growing region, capturing the rugged beauty and volcanic essence of Mount Etna in every bottle.
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