2012 Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie Sicilia 750 ml

Some wines have the sheer prestige to capture the attention of everyone at the table—until a wine like the 2012 Calabretta Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie Sicilia steals it away.

This is not a Cru Classé Bordeaux. It’s not a Premier Cru Burgundy. But in terms of character, tradition, terroir expression, and the ability to captivate a palate until the last drop is gone from the bottle, I put this gorgeous, decade-aged Italian red up against bottles from the most renowned regions on the planet. 

“The 2012 Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie takes things to a darker, earthier yet ultimately thrilling level,” says the glowing review from Vinous. Antonio Galloni has called Calabretta “a bastion of Sicilian tradition,” and this bottle—the product of centuries-old winemaking techniques and 100-year-old vines on Europe’s most active volcano—demonstrates just how spectacular Sicilian wine can be. 

Sitting nearly half a mile above sea level, Calabretta’s vines are rooted on terraced slopes where they experience cool breezes and huge diurnal temperature shifts, yielding thick-skinned Nerello Mascalese with ample tannins and acidity. 

Four generations of the Calabretta family have farmed Etna’s stunning vineyards with minimal intervention. They don’t use chemicals. They allow olive trees, fruit trees, and wild grasses to grow within their vineyards. Everything is done by hand—and foot, as they tread the grapes the old-fashioned way before gentle pressing and aging. 

Very few Etna producers age their rossos this long, since it’s expensive and time-consuming—but Calabretta isn’t after a quick profit. What they’re after is what you get in the 2012: a beautifully mature wine that perfectly expresses one of the unique regions in Italy. Lovers of aged reds—or any reds for that matter—take note.