Description

Benanti Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosso DOC

Area: Sicily/ Sicilia

Appellation: Etna D.O.C. Rosso

Grape variety: Nerello Mascalese, the noble indigenous red grape of Mount Etna Production area South-western slope of Mount Etna in Contrada Cavaliere (part of the village of Santa Maria di Licodia), particularly suited for its high elevation and abundant luminosity.

Altitude: 900 m a.s.l. / c.2,950 ft a.s.l. Climate Mountain climate, less rainy than other slopes of Mount Etna, with high ventilation and luminosity and extremely significant diurnal range Soil Sandy, volcanic, rich in skeleton and minerals, with subacid reaction

Vine density: 6,500 vinestocks per hectare

Yield: 6,000 kg/ha

Age and training system of vines: 50 years old. Trained with Guyot system.

Vinification: Grapes are hand-picked around mid-October and destemmed. Fermentation occurs at a controlled temperature in stainless steel vats, with a c.21 days long maceration, using a specific indigenous yeast selected in the vineyard by Benanti. The maturation occurs in used tonneaux of French oak for about 12 months and then in stainless steel Refining In the bottle for approximately 10 months

Tasting notes

• color: pale ruby red

• scent: ethereal, spicy, with scents of red fruit

• taste: dry, medium-to-full-bodied, distinctively tannic, balanced and persistent

Alcohol content: 14.5% by VOL.

Serving temperature: 18 – 19 °C

Food pairings: A wine particularly suited for red meats, wild fowl and mature cheese

Drinking window: 2019 – 2032