Nerina - 2019
Girolamo Russo
- Region
- Italy 禄 Sicilia 禄 Etna DOC
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Girolamo Russo
- Vintage
- 2019
- Grapes
- Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella Bianca, Coda di Volpe
- Alcohol
- 12
- Sugar
- 0
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
Nerina is Carricante-based blend, where 25% are various autochthonous grapes: Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella, Coda di Volpe. The grapes come from San Lorenzo, Feudo and Calderara Sottana. The wine is macerated for 24 hours. Only 10000 bottles produced.
Ratings
It was a joy to taste this wine again. I have little to add to my previous tasting notes except for one thing. Nerina delivers even after 15 abv Magma while maintaining delicacy and complexity. Bravo.
What a beautiful and elegant Carricante-driven blend. Almost two years passed since the last time I tasted it. Today it revealed slow and steady development. A mix of lemons, quince, tarragon, amber (from the cherry tree?), chalk, orange oil, wet stone and some creamy cheese. Precise, juicy, pungent palate with a long mineral (limestone-y) aftertaste. Almost perfectly balanced, so I soloed the bottle like a champ (alcohol is not healthy, btw).
Hands down, I am in love with this wine. Beautiful floral and citrus bouquet with Roquefort cheese, aloe, estragon, honeydew secretion, chalk and grapefruit. Sophisticated, fresh and savoury, perfectly balanced and flavourful. Long aftertaste full of lemon, cheese and chalk. Now let me share some information not available on the label. Blend of Carricante, Catarratto, Inzolia, Grecanico, Minnella and Coda di Volpe. Only 10000 bottles were produced. And (!) macerated on skins for 24 hours. Bravo.
Girolamo Russo
Making wine on the slopes of Mount Etna is an intensely personal, profound and ongoing act of love.
A friend of mine once said that all people divide into two categories: those who live in Valais and those who want to live there. I have never been there, but I understand this appreciation of the land you live in. And I think the same applies to Etna, at least to some extent. Unlike many, Giuseppe Russo is affiliated with Etna by the right of birth. A graduate of the Humanities with a Diploma in piano, he re-established the family winery in 2005 and dedicated it to the memory of the late father, Girolamo. Their vineyards cover 18 hectares, surrounded by hazelnut and olive groves.
馃挕 "Fun" fact. The official site states that the vineyards cover 18 hectares. But the technical sheet of a'Rina 2018 talks about 19 hectares. Either a typo or the winery grew a bit. By the way, the Good Wine page says that Giuseppe owns 26 hectares, half of which he sells.