Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie 2014

Calabretta are a fourth generation producer with 15 hectares of vines in the Etna's North Valley. They work organically in the vineyard, doing everything by hand. They are an old-school producer, working simply in the winery and making traditional, authentic wines unique to this very special place. Their Vigne Vecchie (old vine) Nerello Mascalaese is from vines planted between 1900 and 1920, half ungrafted. The combination of this old vine fruit and Etna's volcanic soils produces an exceptional wine which demands to be aged aged. It is fermented with wild yeasts, aged for a time in a large Slovenian oak barrel, and then kept in bottle until it is considered ready. It is rich and full-bodied, with a wild, spicy edge. The structure is really quite Barolo-like, but it has Etna stamped all over it, and it really tells a story.