Graci Etna Rosato

Graci is one of the most respected producers on Mount Etna, farming organically at high elevations on the volcano's north slope in Passopisciaro. The estate is run by Alberto Aiello Graci, who works exclusively with indigenous varieties and keeps intervention in the cellar to a minimum. The goal is always to let the place speak. This rosato is 100% Nerello Mascalese, the grape that put Etna on the map. It's made by slow pressing with no skin contact, then fermented and aged in concrete tanks on its natural lees. No oak, no shortcuts. The color is a pale salmon pink, almost delicate. On the nose it's elegant and restrained, with wild strawberry, pink grapefruit and a faint floral quality. There's also something marine and savory underneath that is hard to put your finger on but very much there. On the palate it's bright and fresh with good acidity and a distinctly saline, mineral finish. That salinity is the volcano talking. The volcanic soils here are sandy, rich in iron, and unlike anything else in Italy, and you can taste it.