Breathtaking Wines from Mount Etna - Monterosso and Cornelissen!
1/15/2025
Today we are excited to offer you wines from two exceptional estates from a region steeped in history and tradition.
Monterosso was founded when childhood friends Aurelio Marconi, Giovanni Ferlito, and Gianluca Strano decided to share their love of Sicily's native food and wine culture. Determined not to take any shortcuts, the trio started working with local producers to scout sites around Mount Etna. The search wasn't easy, taking years longer than anticipated. Eventually their patience paid off and they discovered an extraordinary plot containing 'pozzolan' soils - a reddish sand-like volcanic material formed over time from crumbling lava of several different eras of Mount Etna's history. Rich in iron, the soils impart their "Sisma" bottling with an almost Barolo-like quality. While this wine is a prime candidate for cellaring, the remaining wines from Monterosso are more forward, with fruit and freshness. The "Volcano" Rosso and Bianco are great introductions to the viticultural world of Mount Etna.
[The "Pozzolan" soils of the Monterosso estate.]
On the northern side of Mount Etna, Frank Cornelissen is crafting hyper site-specific bottlings from prime vineyards in a Burgundian style. His estate-level "Munjebel", available in red and white, represents his take on a classic Northern Etna style. The wines are fragrant and intense while maintaining a lovely tactile finish embodied in Etna's best wines. The vineyards are grouped into numerous contrade, or sectors, each with slightly different exposures and varied soil composition. Frank's mission has been to isolate these unique terroirs and let them speak through the glass.'MC' and 'CR' are premier-cru level of 70 year old vines,'VA' and 'Magma' are designated as Grand Cru, highlighting the Barbabecchi vineyard containing vines of 90-100 years of age.
-Ranggy Tapia
