2016 Etna Rosso Diciasettesalme

The Cambria family has been quite busy at their Cottanera winery of late. In February 2019, the estate bought a small vineyard planted to 50-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines in the high-quality Diciasettesalme contrada. Located at about 700 meters above sea level and close to the Alcantara River, its soil differs slightly from that of other contrade due to a higher (though still small) percentage of clay amid all the lava, and so the wine made here should have a slightly different aroma and taste profile than the other estate wines. Cottanera has also moved to increase its holdings of Carricante, by planting one new hectare of bush vines and by completing work on all the dry walls and replanting another four hectares of Carricante in the Feudo di Mezzo contrada. Last but not least, and a telling sign of the times, the Cambria family has also decided to graft Carricante over Cabernet Sauvignon in a vineyard (also in the Feudo di Mezzo contrada) that was planted with the international variety back in 1999; furthermore, they have uprooted one hectare each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc planted in the Cottanera contrada and replaced them both with more Carricante.