#6: Benanti - Elegant and Sophisticated Wines from Mt. Etna, Sicily
Benanti Viticoltori
Elegant, precise, crisp, saline, refined, complex, and sophisticated. These are not adjectives many have traditionally associated with Sicilian wine, but they are accurate descriptors for the exceptional class of wines grown on the volcanic slopes of Mt. Etna. This episode focuses on a top Mt. Etna producer - Benanti Viticoltori. We learn about the Benanti family history and its innovations, we walk the vineyards, and we taste and chat with Salvino Benanti, who, along with his twin brother Antonio, is putting Sician fine wines on the map.
The Benanti Viticolori tasting room and visitor reception area is just north of Catania. The buildings are surrounded by a portion of the family’s beautiful vineyards, which begin their ascent up the southeastern slopes of Mt. Etna. This is also a beautiful location for a private event or celebration. In addition to the old press and barrel aging rooms, there is a gorgeous swimming pool and garden to enjoy a warm afternoon or sunset.
Benanti’s wines are available for sale in major U.S. and European markets. Wine Spectator has acknowledged Benanti as one of the “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers” on numerous occasions. In fact, all the major wine publications have sung their praises - Decantur, Wine Advocate, Jancis Robinson, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits.
Wine writer Jan d’Agata stated the following:
“If Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Carricante have become superstar grape varieties, along with Etna wines in general, credit needs to go to the Benanti family (...), who were by far the first to believe in this mountain viticulture. Today Benanti makes what might be Italy’s best white wine, the Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina, as well as the best version of the mono-variety Nerello Cappuccio, a wine that shows that this variety does not necessarily have to be play second fiddle to the more famous Nerello Mascalese.”
LINKS
Interview with:
Useful Links:
Mt. Etna is Europe's largest active volcano - "Mama Etna's" latest eruptions in February 2021
Mise en abyme blog post on Mt. Etna viticultural environment
Decanter Regional Profile: Etna, Sicily
Traditional wine press: palmento (credit to Cantine Nicosia)
Three main local Nerello Mascalese - Wine Folly Profile
Nerello Capuccio - Wine Searcher
1980s - conscious shift among small group of growers to develop exceptionally high quality wines from local varieties
Engaged consultants from Piemonte and Burgundy (experts in cooler climate, elegant red wines focused on Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir)
Contrada Monte Serra (contrada is a small, demarcated vineyard, like a "clos" in Burgundy). Contrada Monte Serra is a volcanic crater from Mt. Etna - dark, sandy volcanic, well drained soils with red pumice
Phylloxera-resistant vineyards also include Serra della Contessa and Rovittello (Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio)
Due to exceptional drainage, many vines are ungrafted and over 100 years old
Ancient single-stake training system called alberello; one chestnut stake per vine, head trained. Must be managed manually. Individual plants are stressed and compete against each other to focus energy on the fruit
Contrada Rinazzo Etna Bianco Superiore (Spec Sheet)
Etna Bianco Superiore - use 100% Carricante grapes from their vineyard in Milo.
DOC law requires a minimum 80% Carricante and maximum 20% Catarato, but Benanti chooses to use 100% Carricante.
The wine is characterized primarily by aromatic white and yellow flowers, followed by ripe apple and orange peel and blossom aromas. The wine is dry, mineral driven, with detectable salinity. Acidity is medium-plus and the finish is pleasantly long
Relatively new planing - only 800 bottles
Milo - faces east. Significant rainfall. High acidity and delicious salinity
Pietra Marina - The top of the line since 1988.
2 years on the lees. Maturation extended from 4 to 5 years.
100% Carricante.
The Mt. Etna DOC accounts for only 5% of all Sicilian wine production.
New York Times: Benanti's 2015 Pietra Marina is "among the best whites in Italy" (may require a subscription to NYT)
See also, "Your Next Lesson: Etna Bianco" by Eric Asimov (may require a subscription to NYT)
Nerello Capuccio is not an Etna Rosso, because DOC laws requires minimum 80% Nerello Mascalese to be called an Etna Rosso. Therefore, Nerello Cappuccio is a IGT wine. Nevertheless, it's delicious and it can offer a bit more power for those who are seeking it.
Benanti uses only stainless steel for aging Nerello Cappuccio. The aromas are of black fruits, dried herbs, a smokey notes.
Concentration and complexity in the wine is enhanced because the vineyards are on the southwestern slopes of Mt. Etna, which are the warmest and driest part of the region during the day, but the temperature drops significantly at night.
Nerello Mascalese is lighter in color and more tannic. It is a quintessential food wine, like a fine Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir.
I compared two Etna Rosso wines (Nerello Mascalese) from different Contrada. The vintages, vinification, and aging techniques were the same for both. The only difference was the location of the vineyard location.
The Etna Rosso from Contrada Monte Serra in the southeast (hilly, humid and warm, wetter, lower altitude, lots of influence from the sea, but with greater diurnal variation) highlighted red fruits like raspberries, spice, smooth tannins and a long finish.
The Etna Rosso from Contrada Cavaliere in the Southwest (hotter, drier, direct exposition to the sun, but still quite cool at night) produces a wine darker in color with more concentration, and is slightly more full bodied. Still, warmer red fruits, savory herbs and spices shine through in beautiful balance with its alcohol, acidity, and finish.
Benanti is truly unique for its work to experiment with and isolate four optimal indigenous yeasts (Paper: A Selection of Yeasts for Enological Use in the Territory of DOC Etna, Sicily, by Benanti Viticoltori). These yeasts have been used exclusively since 2010
If you travel to Sicily, please consider avisit to Benanti (an advancedreservation is requested). They can arrange for tailor-made experiences in their tasting room, elegant dining room, or poolside.
SHOW NOTES
00:02:12 Mt. Etna - Europe’s largest active volcano - and it is very active
00:02:45 Vitally important side note about Sician breakfast - granita with a brioche and coffee. #bliss
00:03:30 History of Mt. Enta’s influence - mountain wines; old EU wines laws encouraged bulk wine production
00:05:00 Palmento - the old lava stone wine press
00:06:08 1980s - the beginnings and the leadership of Giuseppe Benanti, a successful pharmacist
00:07:50 Replacing international varieties with unique indigenous varieties; growing from 5 vintners in 1980 to over 150 today. Consultants from Piemonte and Burgundy helped map the region.
00:08:52 Benanti is the only vineyard that has plots on all four major slopes of Etna. Mt. Etna has a unique climate and terroir.
00:08:52 Milo - the home of Etna Bianca Superiore - home of Pietra Marina, Benanti’s flagship wine
00:10:42 In the Monte Serra vineyard for Nerello Mascalese, dark volcanic pumice soils, which are extremely well drained. As a result, some vines are over 80 years old, as the phylloxera louse cannot survive.
00:13:10 Vintage variations influenced by recent climates changes.
00:14:40 Arbarello training system - an ancient single chestnut stake, head trained system developed by the Romans
00:15:40 Discussion with Salvino Benanti. Benanti produces about 160,000 bottles per year. Mt. Etna region is only 5% of the total Sicilian vineyard surface. Fresh, crip whites and light-bodied reds.
00:17:47 Mt. Etna appellation rules do not dictate what is done in the cellar. The rules focus on the vineyard - what grapes may be grown, but not how the winemaker may process or age the wines.
00:19:56 Some Benanti family history. New investments in the vineyard, in the cellar, and in hospitality.
00:22:30 Tasting wines, first with Rinazzo, a cool parcel at elevation on the east side of the volcano that receives significant rainfall. Resulting wines are about 12% ABV with a beautiful, sharp saline edge, kissed by sea breezes and having touched only stainless steel and some lees aging. The Rinazzo relieves some of the market pressure on Pietra Marina, which requires two years of oak aging and often even longer bottle aging.
00:25:14 Leveraging Giuseppe Benanti’s chemistry background to isolate and cultivate Benanti’s unique indigenous yeast strain. Benanti simulates a spontaneous fermentation, but they are using only a specific natural yeast strain that originated in their cellar.
00:27:32 Benanti and the US market. One third of Benanti’s wine production goes to the US. Benanti works with a significant single importer, Wilson Daniels, and 18 small distributors across America.
00:28:59 The joys of pairing guests in a tasting room.
