2016 Palmento Costanzo Mofete Rosso Etna DOC 750 ml

“Alright, obviously the Etna, and what else?” Over recent years, we’ve noticed that’s how all our “what to order” discussions start when there’s a wine from Sicily’s Mount Etna on the wine list. To us, there is simply no debate to be had about the insane value we’ve found in the reds from its volcanic slopes, and this mouthwatering, 96-point 2016 Palmento Costanzo Mofete Rosso is one of the most mind-blowing examples we’ve discovered yet.

A complex, thrilling wine wrapped up in a value package, this Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection perfectly exemplifies why the Enthusiast wrote “no other wine region in Italy is as exciting as Mount Etna right now,” while Decanter said, “the best wines are magnificent, and even the more everyday wines can be delicious and full of character.” 

Minerally granitic and black pepper accents add linear tension to the wild red berry and pomegranate notes, while dried purple florals and sandalwood linger in the background. Lifted, polished, and extraordinarily refreshing, the savory character strides into an impressively long finish that adds up perfectly to its 96 points. 

Few under-$30 reds are versatile enough to age alongside your prized Barolos and Burgundies in the cellar while running laps around your usual weeknight countertop staples. Yet cellar potential isn’t the only thing this 2016 Etna Rosso has in common with the former.

Nerello Mascalese, the principal indigenous variety of the volcano, delivers brass knuckles in a silken glove. Crafted from 30-year-old free-standing Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio vines, Palmento Costanzo’s Rosso has the delicate perfumed aromas of Pinot Noir with the complexity and tannic structure of Nebbiolo. And while every sip of this red transmits the deep, volcanic energy of its origins, it will thrill fans of Burgundy, Barbaresco, and even cru Beaujolais.

Though wine has been produced on Mount Etna for 3,500 years—its quality was renowned within the Roman Empire—it wasn’t until the last decade that the region experienced a true renaissance in its efforts to export beyond its Mediterranean borders. As the highest active volcano in Europe, Etna’s elevation alone delivers a balanced and harmonious climate that’s all but unprecedented. But its soils are what make it truly unique.

After purchasing the estate in 2011, Domenico and Valérie Costanzo took pains to restore the site’s stone palmento, or gravity-fed winery. Such traditional winemaking enables the Costanzos to capture the terroir of the forbidding northern slopes that surround them. Well-draining lava beds from centuries of frequent eruptions are to thank for the wine’s unmistakable mineral character and concentration. Scorching summer days lend the grapes their gorgeous, sun-kissed fruit character, while plummeting evening temperatures provide the acidity and extended maturation that will keep this Rosso singing for the next 15-plus years.

Fans of ethereal reds will flip for this knockout steal from the same ancient volcanic slopes, and at the best price in the country at that. Yet at 96 points and $28, this heady 2016 Palmento Costanzo Mofete Rosso also has the serious critical chops to back up its unbelievable value, making it one of the best deals we’ve ever offered from Sicily.