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A “WOW” Wine from Sicily

I had a beautiful wine last week. I lucked out, because a friend shared it with me after a tasting session that I didn’t even attend!

There are some nice wines coming out of Sicily, but I’ve never had one that truly wowed me. Until this one!

The 2012 Girolamo Russo San Lorenzo from the Etna DOC has the color of a concentrated Pinot Noir. After a three-hour decant, I found raspberry, violets and some vanilla on the nose. The texture reminds me of satin, with dusty raspberry and blackberry on the palate. It has a long finish and is very well balanced with good acidity and smooth tannins. It may LOOK like a Pinot Noir, but it reminds me more of a medium plus bodied wine from Piedmont.

This lovely wine is made from the Nerello Mascalese grape (along with 2% of Nerello Cappuccio), grown on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. Girolamo Russo has 16 hectares of vineyards and is Certified organic.

Nerello Mascalese is a dark-skinned grape that ripens late, and is grown in areas as high as 1200 meters on the slopes of Mount Etna. Harvest is often not until late October or sometimes even early November and holds its acid well, has gentle tannins and can be consumed in its youth or held to age.

I’m definitely going to be searching for more bottles of this wine, other wines from this producer, and also wines in general from the Etna DOC.

To learn more about Girolamo Russo and Giuseppe Russo (a trained pianist with a degree in Italian literature who has managed the estate since 2004!) check out their website here:

http://www.girolamorusso.it

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