Tasca d'Almerita - Tenuta Tascante
There are many large producers in Sicily, each working with a vast selection of grape varieties, terroir and multiple wineries from north to south and from east to west, but of all of them, only a handful stand out for upholding a high level of quality and consistency across the entire brand. Tasca d’Almerita ranks among them. The company can trace its winemaking roots back almost two centuries, but it was only in the 1970s and 1980s that Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita began to push the limits of what Sicilian wine was thought capable of. At the turn of the last century, the current generation set their sights on expanding the firm into new regions throughout the entire Island, which today has resulted in four separate, self-contained wineries, all operating under Tasca d’Almerita’s core principles: Tascante on Mount Etna’s north slope, Capofaro on the island of Salina, where the focus is on Malvasia, Sallier de La Tour in Monreale, which is home to the new Syrah La Monaca project, and Tenuta Whitaker, like an island that time forgot on Sicily’s west coast. Each produces a unique set of wines that speak very much of place. I think that what impresses me most about the Tasca portfolio is the high level of quality throughout. It’s not uncommon for such a large brand to make a small number of excellent wines from their best sources, yet allow the rest of their production to be substandard, but that’s not the case here. Whether it was the formidable flagship Rosso del Conte from the Regaleali estate, the single-vineyard Rampante from Etna or the value-oriented Bianco Regaleali, each performed well above their price points. You’ll find indigenous varieties, Italian varieties and international ones, yet only planted within a terroir where they excel; and while Tasca doesn’t fear the use of new oak, it is applied judiciously, used to elevate, not get in the way of the wines. When all is said and done, exploring Sicily through Tasca d’Almerita would be both an educational and a highly enjoyable experience.
The 2017s from Tasca d'Almerita’s Tenuta Tascante estate were a pleasure to taste through, as they managed to transcend the warmth of the 2017 vintage to create a selection that focuses on purity. While their profiles were a bit riper and the tannins a bit rounder than you’d expect, the end result was harmonious, and it will for the most part provide more near-term and highly pleasurable drinking while waiting for the more structured vintages to mature.
From Sicily: The Island Nation (Jun 2021) by Eric Guido
2020 Etna Bianco Buonora
Release Price: $22
Color: White
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2019 Etna Bianco Buonora
Release Price: $22
Color: White
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2018 Chardonnay C’Eragià
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Color: White
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2018 Etna Rosso Ghiaia Nera
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Color: Red
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2017 Contrada Pianodario
Release Price: $60
Color: Red
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2017 Contrada Rampante
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Color: Red
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2017 Contrada Sciaranuova
Release Price: $60
Color: Red
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2017 Contrada Sciaranuova V.V.
Release Price: $120
Color: Red
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