This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Girolamo Russo
Etna Rosato Nerello Mascalese 2022
A pale pink color, the 2022 Etna Rosato is delicate, revealing a nuanced blend of crushed rocks and white strawberries. This is cool-toned and lifted in feel with creamy textures and ripe orchard fruits that swirl throughout. It tapers off with tension and medium length, leaving a tinge of salinity on the close. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Donnafugata
Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria Zibibbo 2022
Burnt blood orange, autumnal spices, candied ginger, dried nectarines and a lifting hint of mint create a kaleidoscopic bouquet as the 2022 Ben Ryé blossoms in the glass. Weighty and velvety in feel yet remarkably fresh, it floods the palate with masses of tropical citrus, mango and papaya, all supported by a core of zesty acidity. The 2022 finishes with dramatic length and concentration. A peach nectar resonance and savory spices linger on and on. The 2022 is sure to join the ranks of the best vintages of Ben Ryé. It finished at 200 grams per liter of residual sugar. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Benanti
Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore Carricante 2019
The 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina captivates. It’s perfumed and floral, with enriching notes of almond paste and confectionery spice that perfectly accentuate a smoky core of white peaches. There’s more lift on the palate, but it's a little backward, possessing wiry textures and an intense mineral core that adds depth to its citrus-inflected orchard fruits. Nervous acidity forces the mouth to water and maintains a dazzling freshness as inner florals resonate and a sour lime concentration settles in. The 2019 is just an infant today, compact yet complex, balanced and loaded with character. It will be a gorgeous Etna Bianco to follow over the next decade or more. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Marco De Bartoli
Vigna La Miccia Marsala Superiore Oro Grillo 2018
Dreamy is the word that comes to mind as the 2018 Vigna la Miccia Marsala Superiore Oro wafts up with a decadent blend of roasted almonds and hazelnuts, complicated by gingery spice and baked peaches. This opens with a pretty inner sweetness and oily textures that are perfectly offset by notes of spiced citrus, cloves, cedar and a bitter tinge of coffee grounds. It cleans up beautifully, ridiculously long and staining yet still fresh, leaving hints of cocoa and butterscotch to linger on the finish. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Frank Cornelissen
Munjebel MC Terre Siciliane Rosso Red Wine 2020
The 2020 Rosso MunJebel MC opens with dark floral tones and a mix of dusty roses, ash and dried black cherries. Silky and serene, this stands out for its vibrant red berry fruits and hints of sour citrus, becoming quite spicy toward the close. The MC leaves a pleasantly tart sensation, showing a forgivable bit of heat as a sensation of tart cranberry slowly fades. The MC hails from the Monte Colla vineyard at 780 to 800 meters in elevation. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Donnafugata
Bell'Assai Vittoria Frappato Nero d'Avola 2022
The 2022 Frappato Vittoria Bell'Assai wafts up with purity, displaying an array of violets, lavender, crushed blackberries and a complicating whiff of dusty earth. Round and juicy in style, it possesses cooling acidity and crisp wild berry fruits that cascade throughout. The 2022 finishes wickedly fresh and with medium length, leaving a pleasantly crunchy, mouthwatering sensation behind on the close. The Bell'Assai would make an excellent pairing for a wide variety of cuisine. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Il Censo
Praruar Terre Siciliane Catarratto 2020
A deep, cloudy orange color in the glass, the 2020 Catarrato Praruar opens with an airy blend of dried apricots, crushed apples and ground ginger. It’s soft-textured and round, with ripe orchard fruits and a cascade of liquid inner florals that coats the palate with youthful tension. The 2020 tapers off wonderfully fresh, tactile and firm, leaving the mouth watering as hints of candied citrus and sour melon resolve on the close. This is a fantastic vintage of Praruar that can be easily enjoyed by fans of orange wines. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Feudo Maccari
Saia Sicilia Nero d'Avola 2021
A captivating blend of crushed violets, lavender, blackberries and wet stone wafts up from the 2021 Saia. Cool-toned and lifted in feel, a potent core of ripe red and blue fruits provides a framework as juicy acidity adds freshness. An enjoyably bitter tinge of tangerine forms toward the close. Staining and long, the 2021 finishes off with a coating of fine tannins and a saturation of primary concentration that creates a slightly chewy sensation toward the close. This is a fantastic and energetic rendition of Saia, a varietal Nero d'Avola that I expect will age quite nicely. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Calabretta
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie 2015
The 2015 Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie is simply stunning, erupting from the glass with a burst of crushed black cherries, cloves, blood orange and hints of dusty earth. This is soft-textured, nearly fleshy in feel, with a core of tart red berry fruits offset by sour citrus as rosy inner florals form toward the close. It finishes with staining length and concentration, just lightly structured, leaving a sensation of hard red candies to fade. This is a vibrant vintage of Vigne Vecchie, but it possesses the balance for further evolution. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2021 Nero d'Avola is spicy in the glass, displaying a woodland-inspired blend of mentholated herbs, shaved pine, mandarin and crushed wild berries. This is pleasantly sweet upon entry, with cocoa-tinged red berry fruits complicated by hints of sage and an air of lavender. Staining and potent, the 2021 tapers off with dramatic length, leaving firming tannins and notes of licorice to linger on. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago