2014 Benanti Rovittello Etna Rosso DOC 750 ml

Wine Access members love Benanti’s weightless, deep-fruited, mineral-laden Etna Rosso releases. We know this because ever since we offered the first bottle from the pioneering Mt. Etna producer in 2016, we’ve experienced a plethora of sell-out offers that have left us scrambling to meet demand.

It’s easy to see why these reds have caught on like wildfire. When raised in the region’s highly complex soils, a mix of lava flow and ash, Nerello Mascalese achieves an exquisite balance between elegance and intense volcanic minerality that has to be tasted to be believed. In Benanti’s hands, it is to Sicily what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy: ethereal and vividly site-transparent, with wild-berry concentration supported by limber tannins and laser-like acidity.

We’re proud to be offering the wine we’ve been chasing for the better part of a year—the Chambertin or Musigny of Etna Rosso, to continue the analogy. The single-vineyard Benanti Rovittello, crafted from 100-year-old vines, is the cuvée that single-handedly helped start the Etna craze. The gorgeous 2014 won a 95+ point write-up from Vinous this summer, but we had already fallen in love with the silk-textured legend in the spring during Vinitaly.  

Our encounter with the 2014 Rovittello’s delicate crushed violet aromatics and classical structure at the Verona convention made us determined to seal the deal. The succeeding critical praise only made our job harder. But here we are today with a few hard-won cases to share, discounted from SRP: just $60 for the true Grand Cru of Sicily.

It was an al fresco dinner at Napa’s Oenotri in September, hosted by the charismatic, effusive Antonio Benati, that finally helped us clinch our allocation. Antonio’s father Giuseppe put Mt. Etna on the map, precipitating a vinicultural gold rush that’s seen the number of producers in the region jump from three to 160.

“If Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante have become superstar grape varieties—along with the wines of Etna in general—credit needs to go to the Benanti family,” says Vinous.

In the 1980s, Giuseppe teamed up with the talented enologist Salvo Foti to extensively research the patchwork of volcanic soils and microclimates on Mt. Etna (an active volcano, mind you). In 1988, after a careful selection process, Benanti released his first vintage, and enchanted the world with Mt. Etna’s native varieties.

His sons Antonio and Salvino have since made their name with bottles that capture the essence of the region’s multifaceted terroir. The Rovittello did it first: Sitting at a soaring 2,460 feet above sea level on the north face, centenarian vines are infused with high-elevation freshness and exposed to dramatic diurnal variation, yet taste viscerally of earth: crushed stone, savory herbs, and sandalwood.

The dinner’s sublime pairing of the 2014 Rovittello with a farm-raised leg of lamb and caponata (like Sicillian ratatouille) spurred us to action. We took Antonio by the arm—prepared to twist it if necessary—and inquired into what we could get for our members for a December sale. The result of that negotiation is what we’re able to offer today. A timeless Etna Rosso classic, this is a deal too good to miss.