Vino di Anna Jeudi 15 Rosso 2017
- Region
- Italy » Vino
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2017
- Grapes
- Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio
- Alcohol
- 14
- Sugar
- 1.4
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
The grapes for “Jeudi 15” come from a beautiful, two hectare property, located in the contrada Monte LaGuardia, at 800 metres altitude, on the northern slopes of Mt Etna. 90 year alberello (bush) vines of Nerello Mascalese were hand harvested around the middle of October, along with a small percentage (less than 5%) of Nerello Cappuccio and Alicante (Grenache).
70% of the grapes were de-stemmed by hand into an open, old oak fermenter (30hL). The rest of the grapes were added as whole bunches. Fermentation was conducted by indigenous yeasts. The fermenting must was in contact with the skins for 15 days during which time it was foot trodden several times.
The fermenting must was then transferred to a stainless steel tank where it underwent malolactic fermentation spontaneously. After 6 months on fine lees it was transferred to a 20hl old oak cask for another 6 months, before bottling in December 2018 without fining or filtration.
Deep crimson in colour, this wine has juicy red fruit aromas (cherries, strawberries) coupled with floral notes. Medium bodied, it has vibrant red fruit flavours, coupled with liquorice and spice. The acidity is firm, the tannins fine and dusty and the finish long.
Why is this cuvee called “Jeudi 15”? In memory of the harvest date, the first year we made this wine – Thursday 15th October 2009
— Anna
Ratings
I just love this wine. Consistently good. It is moderately sophisticated with friendly bouquet. Herbs, sour cherry, and hints of tobacco. Flavourful, well balanced and tannic. Great middle ground between fruitiness and minerality. Great QPR.
Intense and deeps nose. Herbs, sour cherry, cranberry, hints of tobacco. Well balanced, tannic wine with long aftertaste. Flavours of tobacco and cherry. I like the parity of fruitiness and minerality in this wine. Sun, ripe fruits and the land in a glass. Very tasty.
About Producer
There was a time when Sabotage organised Friday parties near Yellow Place, Goodwine. This is where Ivan Omelchenko introduced me to Vino di Anna, and this is where he started to joke that I'd become their brand ambassador. While I don't drink their wines often these days, I still hold a special place for these folks in my heart.
Vino di Anna is a small, family wine estate situated high on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, near the village of Solicchiata. The heart of the domain is in Contrada Crasà, where the winery and family home are located. The rest of the vineyards are situated in different contrade (historic lava flows) from the secluded 100-year-old Don Alfio vineyard in Contrada Piano Filici, above the village of Rovittello, to the renowned Contrada Rampante, above Passopisciaro. The white vineyards are concentrated on the north-western side of the volcano in Contrada Nave, not far from the estate’s Grenache-dominant vineyard in Contrada Tartaraci, near the village of Maletto.
Anna Martens and Eric Narioo made their first wine together on Mount Etna in 2008. In 2010, the couple purchased their first vineyard of old bush vines of Nerello Mascalese in Contrada Crasà, along with a neighbouring, derelict Etnean palmento and wine cellar. Today, with a team of locals, they cultivate organically eight hectares of terraced land, divided into small vineyard plots and olive groves scattered across the north face of the volcano. Grapes are hand-harvested in September and October and fermented into a range of natural wines, expressive of their terroir. The estate also produces extra virgin olive oil and rears the rare Sicilian black bee.
Eric and Anna aim to make wines that are tasty, expressive, true to their provenance, and reflective of the growing season each year. All of the vineyards are tended by hand and farmed without the use of any agrochemicals. Only healthy ripe grapes are harvested by hand and brought to the wine cellar. Here, there is minimal intervention; fermentation is by indigenous yeasts at ambient temperature. No additives are used. Wines are vinified and aged in lava stone, chestnut and French wood, Georgian qvevri, glass, and stainless steel. They are naturally clarified by gravity and are not filtered. Zero or minuscule quantities of SO₂ are added, only when it is deemed necessary for the stability of the wine.
Vino di Anna’s qvevri wines are fermented and macerated in Georgian qvevris, handmade by one of the few remaining artisans, Zaaliko Bodjadze, near Makatubani, Georgia. Zaaliko and his sons source clay from the high Caucasus mountains, shape the vessels by hand, and coat them with beeswax. Eight qvevris were delivered to Vino di Anna in 2013 and were buried in a specially built-underground cellar at the back of the winery.