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2018 Benanti Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosso

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Latest Sale Price

June 25, 2023 - $41

Estimate

RATINGS

92The Wine Advocate

...shows an open-knit personality with peach, preserved lemon, crushed stone and candied almond.

92James Suckling

Aromas of crushed red cherry, rhubarb and fresh thyme. Medium-bodied with fine, slightly dry tannins. Lovely herbal character here, then minerals taking over the palate towards the end.

90Vinous / IWC

...holds nothing back, presenting a seductive bouquet of musky ripe cherries and strawberries, contrasted by hints of animal musk. It’s soft-textured and fleshy in feel, as juicy acids further amplify its display of red berries and spice. Hints of licorice linger along with pretty inner florals, and the Cavaliere cleans up nicely through the lightly structured finale.

90Wine Enthusiast

Aromas of toasted hazelnut, yellow apple and botanical herb form the delicate nose along with the barest whiff of chamomile. Racy and ethereally elegant, the linear palate offers yellow pear, Meyer lemon and saline alongside crisp acidity.

16Jancis Robinson

Soft cranberry and cherry nose with peppery herb-liqueur notes. Already a little mature. Soft and full on the palate with plenty of acidity cutting through the soft fruit. Soft, grainy tannins on the finish.

REGION

Italy, Sicily, Etna

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, and, with its 329,000 vineyard acres, Italy’s largest wine region by acreage and the quantity of wine produced. Nevertheless, only 2.1% of all Sicilian wine is DOC, or wine made according to appellation standards. Until the 1970s Sicilian wine grapes either went to make Marsala, the sweet dessert wine introduced by 18th century British wine merchants, or to cooperatives that specialized in bulk wine production. But in 1968 Sicily was awarded its first DOC, which was the Etna DOC on the southern slopes of Mt. Etna, and today there are 19 DOCs. Along with the Maremma on Tuscany’s western coast, Sicily is considered the most exciting winemaking region in Italy. Longtime family agricultural estates are being turned into high quality commercial wineries, and because land prices are low compared to other parts of Italy, enterprising young winemakers and viticulturalists – many of whom practice organic and sustainable farming – have started wineries in Sicily. Marsala is still produced, and the Marsala business is one reason why 60% of Sicily’s vineyards are planted to Catarratto, the white grape used as a base for Marsala. But dry white wines are made from Inzolia, Malvasia, Zibbio and Chardonnay. But it is Sicily’s big, complex red wines that are grabbing the attention of wine enthusiasts. Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most common red grape, and it produces rich, somewhat spicy wines. Other red grapes are Nerello Mascalese, Frappato and French varietals.