Throughout Europe, the short length of the harvest alone shows us that the 2014 vintage on Etna is an exceptional one. By October 20th, the grapes were already ripe up to the highest Contrada, and the harvest took off in just a few days everywhere on the mountain. Emerging from a sort of hibernation in the cooler 2013 vintage, they had a forceful, energetic disposition the following year. Looking back across the 2014 vintage, one can see now the great success in the way in which the days and nights of the year provided perfect conditions for the vines.
There is this languid quality in the wines of 2014. In them, there is a massive quality, full-bodied with powerful aromas that hover just above the surface of the wine, instead of leaping out of the glass. Nerello mascalese darkens only slightly, and every year the shade is different. This year, the fermentation caused the dark grapes to slowly yield their special garnet color, while the yeasts were moving through the massive musts. After running the wine into the large barrels and cement vats, it will need months to become recognizable because the slow progression of the wine in the winery corresponds perfectly to the slow progression of the vines in the vineyards throughout the year. It’s apparent that the wine is dense, yet soft; it has the aroma of sandalwood, and each month it shows the same grand, free quality, which seems to defy the laws of gravity. The perfume of sandalwood in the 2014 vintage softens the more typical aromas of citrus fruits and camphor, typical of the lavas of Etna. It is in the mélange of these aromas in which the great luxury of this vintage is found.
Vineyard age: 80 years
Vineyard area: 1.5 hectare
Vineyard density: 8,000 vines/Ha
Vineyard altitude: 650 m asl
Yield per hectare: 16 Hl/Ha
Fertilization: None
Spraying: Propolis, clay, grapefruit seed extract
Harvest: 24 October
Vinification: Alcoholic fermentation on the skins in stainless steel vats for 15 days
Aging: Malolactic fermentation followed by 18 months aging in large, neutral oak barrels
Bottling: waning moon of April 2016
Production: 2,400 bottles
“From the Contrada Porcaria, the 2014 Contrada P offers a steady and generous supply of dark fruit aromas. This is a dark and well saturated expression of Nerello Mascalese. This Sicilian grape usually offers a lighter and leaner appearance, but the 2014 vintage really does stand out for its deep color saturation. Like the other single-vineyard expressions from Andrea Franchetti, the wine ages in large oak casks for 18 months. The finish is smooth and perhaps more robust compared to the other wines in this series. (Drinking window: 2017-2032)”
– Monica Larner, Robert Parker, 94 points
List Price: $75.75
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