6/11/26 - 

My introduction to the wines of Girolamo Russo was a steady progression. I first started seeing them on wine lists of respectable Italian restaurants and then finally got to taste them for myself while working at La Medusa, a Sicilian restaurant in Seattle. Meredith Molli is the Chef and Owner there and is a big fan of the wines and champion for them on the West Coast! I find Girolamo Russo to be stunning examples of both red and white wine on Mount Etna's Northern slope.

The first thing to notice about the labels are the listing of single contrade (Etna's cru classification system), a practice that has gotten increasingly more common on the volcano in the past 20 years. Giuseppe, also known as Beppe, was one of the main growers leading that charge in the early 2000's when he returned to his native Etna after studying music and literature. Calderara Sottana, San Lorenzo, and Feudo are three of the single contrada bottlings on offer today. 'A Rina is a blend of those three sites, but Beppe urges that this is not an entry-level wine just because it is a blend. Sometimes more deeply understanding certain sites is knowing how they synergize into wines of balance and beauty. Beppe is a master of this, bringing his knowledge of musical composition into winemaking.

I find his wines to be suave, mineral, and deep. Organic farming, minimal additions, and traditional methods provide the perfect canvas to represent Etna's varied terroirs. While most of his production focuses on Nerello Mascalese for the reds, the Carricante based Etna Bianco are not to be overlooked. 'Muntagnuolo' is a local word to describe Carricante's typical characteristics of lemon + salinity + high acidity and Beppe's winemaking does an excellent job of highlighting this. It also holds a stunning mineral character, great aging potential, and thrives in Etna's extreme altitude, shade, and humidty. The collection below features three whites: 2024 Nerina Etna Bianco, 2024 San Lorenzo Etna Bianco and 2024 Feudo Etna Bianco. Click 'View the Wines' to read further notes on each wine's characteristics.

Maybe in 100 years Etna will be closer to the classification systems of Barolo or Burgundy. Whatever happens, I'll be studying the unique characteristics of the contrade and happily sipping the wines.

-Marisa Licandro

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