SERRA DELLA CONTESSA
Particella No. 587
Etna Rosso Riserva

History
After almost twenty years of experience vinifying the well-known Etna Rosso Serra della Contessa, in 2015 Benanti decided to aim for new heights by focusing exclusively on the small, pre-phylloxera portion of the vineyard and extending the wine’s vinification, maturation and refining period to 60 months, thereby creating this new, exclusive Etna Rosso Riserva produced in a very limited quantity.

Appellation
Etna D.O.C. Rosso Riserva

On the mountain
Vineyard located in Contrada Monte Serra, on the South-east slope of Mount Etna, at an elevation of c.500 m. a.s.l. (c.1,640 ft a.s.l.).

In the vineyard
Nerello Mascalese (c.85%), Etna’s noble indigenous red variety, and Nerello Cappuccio (c.15%), a grape cultivated on Etna for centuries, co-planted in the same vineyard.
The very steep vineyard is planted on a sandy, volcanic soil, rich in minerals and pumice lava stones, with sub-acid reaction. The head-trained bush vines (“alberello”) are pre-phylloxera and ungrafted, with a planting density of 9,000 to 10,000 vinestocks per hectare and a yield of 4,500 kg/ha. The area’s high hill climate, mitigated by the proximity to the Ionian Sea, is humid and rainy in the cooler season, with constant good ventilation and high luminosity.

In the cellar
The grapes are hand-harvested and selected in late September or early October. Fermentation takes place in a stainless steel vat at a controlled temperature of 25° C, with a long maceration, with the aid of Benanti’s own indigenous yeast, which was selected from local vineyards through years of research and experimentation in the cellar. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel, then maturation occurs in large barrels of French oak (15hl) for about 24 months. The refining period in the bottle is 12 months.

In the glass
The color is ruby with light tints of garnet. The nose is ethereal and intense, with hints of wild berries, spices and noble wood. The palate is full, elegant, harmonic, mineral, significantly persistent and reasonably tannic.
Serving temperature: 18 – 19°C

At the table
An elegant, rewarding, age-worthy wine ideal with game, red meat and mature cheese.