Quota 1000 Contrada Barbabecchi
Quota 1000 is Graci’s rarest and most extreme wine: Nerello Mascalese from a century-old, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vineyard on the ancient terraces of Contrada Barbabecchi, at 1,000–1,100 meters — likely among the highest great vineyards in Europe, and so high it sits above the boundary of the Etna DOC itself. Produced only in the finest vintages and matured for years in large casks before release, it is a wine of haunting perfume, austerity, and mineral transparency — the mountain at its absolute limit.
Appellation: Terre Siciliane IGP
Type: Dry, red
Varietal: Nerello Mascalese 100% — indigenous to Mt. Etna
Color: Luminous, pale ruby.
Bouquet: Violet, rose petal, red cherry, wild strawberry, red currant, and pomegranate over alpine herbs, volcanic ash, and flint.
Palate: Vibrant and precise — remarkable fruit intensity carried on electric acidity and fine-grained tannins, unfolding in layers of tart red fruit, blood orange, and spice toward a saline, mineral finish of exceptional length.
Alcohol: 13.5%-14% ABV
Serving Suggestions: 16–18°C (60–64°F); decant 1–2 hours when young.
Food Pairings: Roast game birds, lamb, aged beef, truffle dishes, mature mountain cheeses.
Production Area: Contrada Barbabecchi, northeastern slope of Mount Etna, above Passopisciaro, on hand-built stone terraces.
Farming: Certified organic; no herbicides; heroic manual viticulture on terraces.
Elevation 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) a.s.l.
Vines: Century-old, ungrafted (pre-phylloxera) Nerello Mascalese, trained in traditional Etna alberello at high density (~8,000 vines per hectare)
Soil type: Loose-textured, high-altitude volcanic soils rich in sand, iron, fossils, and minerals.
Yield per ha: 10 quintali.
Harvest: First week of November.
Fermentation: Traditional without added yeasts, temperature allowed to fluctuate in conical steel vats called "tini," maceration of the skins for 25 days.
Aging: 24 months in oak casks with spontaneous development of malolatic fermentation. 12 months in bottle before release.
Production: Made only in the greatest vintages; quantities are tiny.
2010 Etna Rosso Quota 1000 – 92 Points – Robert Parker Wine Advocate (#212 May 2014)
"The 2010 Quota 1000 Contrada Barbabecchi takes you immediately to the heart of Etna winemaking tradition. From north-facing vineyards at a whopping 1000 meters above sea level, this is an austere, tightly wound and nervous wine that needs more time in the bottle to soften. Tight tannic astringency makes a big impact in the mouth. The bouquet, however, is extremely floral with pressed violets and crushed rose petal. A dusting of crushed white pepper makes for a lasting impression on the finish. This wine needs at least three or four more years of bottle aging. It's really just in its infancy now." ~ M.L.
