Description
I Custodi, Etna Rosso “Aetneus”
Twenty years ago, no one was talking about wine from Mount Etna. Now, nobody can stop. Much of the thanks goes to a man named Salvo Foti. This immensely talented, fiercely dedicated viticulturist and winemaker began work as a consultant in Eastern Sicily in 1981 and has played an outsized role in Etna’s rise to prominence. His main preoccupation has been the rehabilitation of old, abandoned vineyards on Mount Etna (of which there are many), and the launch of “I Vigneri” in 2001, its name a reference to a vine-growers’ association first established on Etna in 1435.
Using his encyclopedic knowledge of the Etnean vineyard landscape, Foti created this collective of small growers, and today, many of these vineyards provide the source material for some of the island’s most sought-after names. Mario Paoluzi’s “I Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna” is among them: This 2014 “Aetneus” doesn’t merely confirm the excellence of Etnean wine but demonstrates that they can age, too, and when you taste it there’s no denying its resemblance to top-tier red Burgundy. It’s a delicious tangle of plush red fruit and soaring florals, underpinned by an unmistakably “volcanic” smokiness. I’d walk over hot lava for a bottle of this—everything from provenance to profundity to price is 100% spot-on!
Paoluzi named his label “I Custodi” (founded in 2007) in honor of the “guardians” of ancient viticulture he has partnered up with. He produces five Etnean wines from four different vineyards, or contrade, all of which are farmed by members of the “I Vigneri” growers’ association. “Aetneus” hails specifically from a contrada called Moganazzi, in the village of Castiglione di Sicilia. This farm is situated on the highly desirable “north slope” of Mount Etna, with a north-facing aspect and elevations that reach past 700 meters. Soils are, obviously, volcanic—a black, sandy pumice—and the vines, never touched by phylloxera, are very old and trained in the alberello (“little bush”) method.
Fruit for “Aetneus,” which contains 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, comes from 90-year-old vines in Contrada Moganazzi. Some whole grape clusters are left intact (about 20%) for fermentation, which is carried out in stainless steel vats. Maceration on skins lasts about 12 days. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in 500-liter tonneau barrels, where the wine remains for 24 months of aging. It then rests in bottle for another 24 months before it is released.
The amount of time this 2014 spent in barrel and bottle before release is significant, and explains its seamless texture and complex aromatic profile. Shining a bright garnet-red in the glass, it has a very “Burgundian” personality, with perfumed aromas of black cherry, raspberry, blood orange, rose hips, black tea, smoke, and underbrush. It is medium-bodied, leaning toward medium-plus, with a sappy core of fruit framed by vibrant acidity and sandy tannins. It’s beautiful to drink now but there’s still more evolution ahead of it, so, as I so often say, take six bottles and revisit the wine here and there over the next 3-5 years (or more). Decant it 30 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60 degrees and pair it with eggplant parm or a Sicilian-style braciole (see awesome recipe attached). Enjoy!
