Artigiano 2020 Etnella: the red wine that will revolutionize Sicilian oenology?
The 2020 Artigiano made by Etnella winery is a classic natural wine full of juice and lightheartedness. It is not a wine with a heavy structure. On the contrary, it focuses on the fruity roundness of Nerello Mascalese and a certain dynamism. The tannins are delicate, while the acidity is quite pronounced and certainly needs a couple of years of rest in the bottle.
How is it produced?
The grapes blend 90% of Nerello Mascalese and 10% of Nerello Cappuccio, and the vines are located on the slopes of Etna at an altitude between 600 and 1000 meters.
The “regime” of the vineyards is entirely natural. No pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic products are used, but only copper and sulfur in small quantities.
The peculiarity of this IGT Sicilia is that it results from three harvests carried out in different phases: early, mature and overripe.
Each batch of wine is vinified separately, in steel, only with indigenous yeasts and ages 10 months in used tonneau.
Organoleptic characteristics
The bouquet is large, fleshy, and full of cherries, balsamic notes, pepper, and mineral references. It has the typical slightly arid, Balsamic note of Etna wines, even if it does not reach great complexity peaks. Let’s say it focuses on immediacy, the pulp. Mentholated and coffee and cocoa tones. Very ethereal finish with eucalyptus. In the complex, it is satisfying and direct, it does not want to overdo it, but there are no imperfections.
It is impetuous, warm, enveloping, and very acid on the palate with these flavors of black cherry and chocolate that mix with earthy flavors. In some ways, it bitters or better remembers the change of pace found in a review. It hops from mature flavors to sharper and more evolved ones with ease. It’s not massive, it doesn’t have a lot of extract, but it plays well with the juiciness of the fruit and those splendid mineral notes. The aromatic volume is there, the fullness of the sip perhaps a little less. Overall, however, it is a fascinating, iridescent wine.
Price
15-16 euros for the one-liter bottle. Acceptable price for an easy-to-drink natural wine.
Food Pairings
Black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.