Tenuta di Fessina
Etna, Sicily
The late Silvia Maestrelli shines on for her ability to produce the finest Etna wines, her legacy. Such was her understanding and sheer love for the volcanic land surrounding the imposing volcano. Today, Tenuta di Fessina is known for creating wines that stand up to the greatest made in this DOC and in the whole of Italy.
Their mesmerising whites are truly the most limpid manifestation of Carricante, particularly from the ‘A’Puddara’ cru. As for the reds, they vividly embody the northern reaches of Etna; at once an imposing and delicate interpretation of the indigenous Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio that thrive in this ominous territory. Through years perfecting her craft, Maestrelli successfully harnessed the earth, fire, and ice which shaped this improbable Sicilian haven of fine wine.
These new releases are not only a benchmark of Etna terroir, but they hold a very special meaning for us; the utter delight they incite upon drinking and the compelling way in which they come to be is reason enough to pay respect to one of the greatest producers that ever existed.
“Etna immediately imposed a gravitational influence on me. After my first taste of Nerello Mascalese I searched for years to find the perfect terroir to show exactly the expression of this land that I had in mind. Then I found Fessina, with rocks pitched just like the old walls of a French clos, with the most fine and elegant soil. Since then, Fessina has been home” Silvia Maestrelli.
2022 Etna Bianco ‘Erse’
While volcanic eruptions of 2020 put a slight damper on production, 2021 brought about yet another remarkable, albeit limited, batch of this ‘entry-level’ Etna Bianco. The Erse conveys hallmarks of minerality and focus, with an added layer of fruit from other local varieties Cattarato and Minella. The 2021 vintage is tightly threaded with a brilliance and clarity that is a recurring feature in this single vineyard white blend.
Winemaking:
90% Carricante, 10% Cattarato and Minella from a 70-year-old vineyard situated in Biancavilla and a 90-year-old vineyard growing on milo soil, located South and East of Etna. The vines grow between 900 and 950 meters above sea level. The juice is fermented in stainless steel. The wine is lightly filtered and finally aged in bottle for 12 months before release.
Tasting Notes:
The ‘22 Erse Bianco is the most accessible of the Fessina whites of this release, but maintains an outstanding structure and driven acidity. Aromas of grapefruit, green mango and green pineapple complement a pithy, chalky citrus base. The high-acid, uber fresh palate is still juicy with a touch of glycerol rounding off the sharp edges. A very serious Etna white from some very high altitude vines in Milo.
Here’s an elegant and finely shaped Carricante. It has a distinctive mineral quality, with sun-warmed hay, granny smith apple and sweet lime cordial scents. The palate is generously composed with bright lemon juice, grapefruit pith, kiwi and a piercing acid line that gives the wine great persistence. 91 pts Monica Larner, Wine Advocate.
2021 Etna Bianco ‘A Puddara’
A’Puddara is recognised for producing the purest expression of Carricante from the estate’s small vineyard holdings. The Contrada Manzudda in Biancavilla, one of the most South-Western plantings on Etna, gives rise to a wine of such rhythm, poise, and structure - one with salty minerality combined with concentrated fruit flavour – that this is consistently the most regarded of all of Etna’s white wines. With such acid drive, it’s just beginning to find its groove.
Winemaking:
100% Carricante from a 70-year-old vineyard situated in Biancavilla, Contrada Manzudda, South-West of Etna. The vines sit at 900 meters above sea level. The fruit is fermented in 3,500L French oak. The wine is racked and transferred into 3,500L French oak barrels to age on fine lees for 8 months. It spends 6 months in large oak before light filtering and 6 months in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes:
There’s the salinity we’re so fond of. The nose is packed with flintstone and salted buttered popcorn aromas. The palate strikes the perfect balance between, fruitiness, creaminess and tartness - preserved lemon, yellow peach, toasted cashews, and lemon custard flavours dominate, accompanied by refreshing sherbet, capers, cucumber, and dill notes. It’s extremely invigorating with a mouth-watering salt/acid interplay. 92 pts Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
2019 Etna Bianco ‘Il Musmeci’
The Etna Bianco Superiore Musmeci embodies the contrast between cold perennial snow and the heat of Etna. Tenuta di Fessina’s seminal vineyard encompasses an 18th century mill built from lava stones, where the grapes are processed.
Winemaking:
100% Carricante. The vines were planted in 1920 on milo soil, facing South at about 1000 meters above sea level. The fruit is naturally fermented in stainless steel. The wine is lightly filtered and aged in the finest French oak barrels for 6 months, then 24 months in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes:
The 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Caselle Il Musmeci is wickedly spicy and fresh, with zests of lemon and sweet mint complemented by a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, hazelnut, and hints of vanilla bean. It boasts silky textures and is more savoury than anticipated, with tart orchard fruits and notes of raw almond that fill the senses. The 2019 Caselle Il Musmeci finishes lightly structured yet long, with hints of young peach and mango that linger, along with a residual burst of acidity that keeps the energy high. Nearly a minute goes by, and there’s still a lemon-ring bitter note that lingers. Wow. 93 pts. Eric Guido, Vinous.
2022 Etna Rosato ‘Erse’
This is possibly the truest volcano wine of the line-up. It sits well apart from the other classic rosés, in fact, inching closer to a red wine than a Provence. This one couldn’t be from anywhere but Etna, and it’s earned its spot at the table.
Winemaking:
90% Nerello Mascalese, 10% Nerello Cappuccio from a young vineyard situated in Rovittello, North of Etna. The vines sit at 700m above sea level. The juice is cold macerated for 12 hours, then naturally fermented in stainless steel. The wine is lightly filtered, then aged in bottle for 6 months before release.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is ashy and flinty with generous aromas of ripe strawberries and peaches. The palate is spicy and so savoury, with pink peppercorn, bright red berry, cherry pit and cold cut smoked meat flavours, a light yoghurt texture and a delicious almond skin grip lingering.
What a fantastic rosato. It opens with aromas of Mediterranean scrub, red berry, stone fruit and sea breeze while the elegant, mineral-driven, palate features juicy red cherry, wild strawberry, aromatic herb and spice set against bright acidity. It closes on a saline note. 93 pts. Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast.
2021 Etna Rosso ‘Erse’
Nerello Mascalese is elegant, red-fruited and flamboyant while Nerello Cappuccio is mineral, broody and structured. Seldom seen on its own (Fessina make one of only two straight Nerello Cappuccios in the region) it’s almost always blended into Etna Rosso to firm up the final fine. There’s around 10% of it in the Erse Rosso cuvee, and a small splash of the white Carricante to freshen things up.
Winemaking:
90% Nerello Mascalese, 8% Nerello Cappuccio and 2% Carricante from a 70-year-old vineyard situated in Rovittello, North of Etna. The vines sit at 700m above sea level. The fruit is co-macerated and fermented for 9 days in stainless steel. The wine is aged in stainless steel for 6 months and in bottle for 12 months before release. It’s unfiltered.
Tasting Notes:
Such a beautifully composed Etna Rosso, and possibly the most terroir-driven of the wines from this new release. Scorched earth and licorice on the nose, which opens out to juicy cherries and fennel seed. The palate displays a brilliant energy and soft but plentiful tannins. A lovely interpretation of Erse Rosso, and so moreish.
Once again, the Etna Rosso stands out with herbal and earthy characters adding contrast to the fruit on the nose and the palate– rich, wet soil, dried oregano and fennel seeds. It has finely structured and persistent, black tea-like tannins and a salty black olive tapenade flavour complementing the deep blackberry and black cherry fruit characters. 90 pts Vinous, Antonio Galloni, 94 pts James Suckling.
2019 Erse Rosso 1911 Contrada Moscamento
Eruzione 1911 is a selection from old saplings located close to a volcanic sciara rich in basalt, iron and manganese, with this Cru we want to give a frame of a single fragment, unique in terms of micro-climate and expression.
Winemaking:
100% Nerello Mascalese from Rovittello, North of Etna. The vinification and aging process is equal to 24 months in Tonneaux and Large French Oak Barrels, then 12 months in the bottle to guarantee finesse and structure, balsamic and fresh notes of undergrowth.
Tasting Notes:
We herald our first release of this new cuvee from the wonderful Contrada Moscamento with the outstanding 2019 vintage. Erse by name, this shares almost nothing in common with the ‘regular’ Erse red in either site nor style. This is a wine to work through, to coax out and watch unfurl before you. It’s very reserved to begin with, and you need to waft off the initial sulfur, but it quickly reveals beautiful characters of smoked tomato, dark cherry, marzipan and bitter chocolate. Penetrate that ashy, tarry exterior and it has a core of very concentrated black fruits. The palate is - without exaggerating - thrilling. Concentrated but not dense, very fine and flavoursome tannins, saltiness and cooling acidity.
2019 Etna Rosso ‘Il Musmeci’
The reserve is made of the oldest vineyard on the estate panted in 1932, and only in the exceptional vintages. The Musmeci cru is surrounded by a clos, a wall made of a combination of volcanic rock and the natural path of the lava formed over centuries. Though not quite pre-phylloxera as some in Etna are, this ancient site produces what we believe is Tenuta di Fessina’s most significant red wine.
Winemaking:
100% Nerello Mascalese from 90-year-old vines of the Musmeci cru situated in Rovittello, North of Etna. The vines sit at 700m above sea level. The juice is fermented in 3,500L French oak and macerated on skins for 15 days. The wine spends a total of 18 months in large French oak, then 24 months in bottle before release. It’s unfiltered.
Tasting Notes:
There’s something very grounding and penetrating about this wine, perhaps the rich volcanic earth characters, combined with dark chocolate coated cherry, or the sweet liquorice, mouth-watering guanciale fat and undergrowth characters forming an aromatic profile so typical of old vine Etna. After a bit of aeration, the palate gives way to lush and youthful fruit and soft-edged tannins of the finest calibre. Lengthy and so complex. 92 pts. Antonio Galloni, Vinous.