Etna Rosso Arcurìa Sopra il Pozzo
Sopra il Pozzo is the summit of the Graci range: a single-vineyard 100% Nerello Mascalese selection from within the estate’s home cru of Arcurìa. Soil research conducted in 2004 revealed that this small parcel differs from every other vineyard in the contrada, its subsoil formed by a continuous alternation of volcanic stone and coarse sand known locally as “rifusa.” Vinified with extreme patience — spontaneous fermentation, months-long maceration, and extended aging in large casks — it is Etna’s answer to grand cru: pale, profound, and built for decades. Rose petal, blood orange, cold smoke, and a saline finish that goes on forever. Extremely limited production.
Appellation: Etna Rosso DOC
Type: Red, dry
Varietal: 100% Nerello Mascalese – indigenous to Mt. Etna
Color: Luminous pale ruby with garnet-orange reflections.
Bouquet:A slowly unfurling nose of red berries, candied blood orange, dried rose, anise, rosemary, and cold smoke over cool volcanic ash.
Palate: The palate is polished and complete — silken in texture yet deeply structured, with saline energy, extraordinarily fine tannins, and a long, savory, mineral finish.
Alcohol: 14%
Food Pairing: Roasted game, duck, aged beef, truffle and porcini dishes, mature pecorino and caciocavallo.
Production Area: La Vigna Sopra is a 1.5-hectare parcel within Contrada Arcurìa, Passopisciaro, on terraced slopes of Etna's northern face; identified and isolated since 2004 for its singular character
Altitude: 700 meters (2,300 feet) a.s.l.
Vine Density: 6,000- to 10,000-plants per hectare.
Soil: Volcanic origin and in this parcel have a particular texture, made up of overlapping and alternating layers of lava stone and coarse sand called “rifusa.”
Yield: Less than 40 quintals per hectare.
Harvest: Mid-October.
Fermentation: The grapes are sent to ferment in open oak vats with a long period of maceration on the skins.
Aging: 18- to 24-months in large wooden ‘tini’, made from Nevers oak by Austrian Cooper, Stockinger, with spontaneous malolactic fermentation, followed by approximately 24 months of bottle aging.
