Giovanni Rosso
Etna Bianco Contrada Pietra Marina Ester Canale Rosso 2024
| Denomination | DOC Etna Bianco |
|---|---|
| Size | 0,75 l |
| Alcohol content | 13.0% by volume |
| Area | Sicily (Italy) |
| Grape varieties | 100% Carricante |
| Aging | Aged on fine lees for five months with weekly bâtonnage in stainless steel tanks |
- Name and grape: Etna Bianco DOC 2024, 100% Carricante, 13% vol
- Origin and soil: Contrada Pietra Marina, 537 metres, north-facing, volcanic soil
- Vinification: gentle pressing and fermentation in steel at low temperature for 15–20 days
- Ageing: 5 months on the lees in steel with weekly bâtonnage, no use of wood
- Ratings: 94 points James Suckling, 93 Decanter, 4 Viti AIS (2024)
Description
What kind of wine it is
Giovanni Rosso Etna Bianco Contrada Pietra Marina Ester Canale Rosso is a still wine from Etna, made from Carricante grapes. In the glass, it displays a distinct mineral profile and a bright, crisp acidity. The bouquet opens with fragrant notes of white flowers, citrus, honey and ginger, enriched by aromatic herbs and hints of hydrocarbons. On the palate, it is balanced, dominated by white-fleshed fruit and nuances of chamomile. The finish is long and airy, with sensations of wet stone and sweet herbs, ensuring a vibrant sip with great precision.
Where it comes from
This white wine is born on the slopes of the volcano, in the Pietra Marina district of Castiglione di Sicilia. The vines, tended with the typical candelabra training system, grow on a volcanic-fluvial soil characterised by prominent outcrops of sandstone. Situated at 537 metres above sea level with a favourable northern exposure, the vineyards benefit from ideal pedoclimatic conditions for slow ripening. This unique terroir imparts a defined gustatory tension to the wine, while preserving the aromatic clarity deeply linked to the territory of Etna.
How it is produced
Vinification begins with manual harvesting in autumn and a gentle pressing of whole bunches. The must ferments at low temperature in stainless steel tanks for about two or three weeks. Ageing continues for five months on fine lees, accompanied by weekly bâtonnage to enrich the wine's tactile structure, without any use of barrels. This careful process produces a white wine perfect for enhancing scallops with citrus butter, herb-roasted quail, white truffle risottos, lobster Thermidor or mature sheep's cheeses.
History and Curiosities
Founded in 1960 and now expertly led by oenologist Davide Rosso, the winery produces the Etna Bianco Contrada Pietra Marina, a true excellence born in Castiglione di Sicilia. This prestigious wine has its roots in volcanic-fluvial soils at an altitude of 537 metres, where the vineyards, trained in the candelabra style, benefit from an ideal northern exposure. The volcano's extreme terroir imparts a vibrant energy to the glass, celebrated internationally with 94 points from James Suckling and the 4 Vines AIS, ensuring a tasting experience of rare elegance.
Awards
-
2024
93/100
Decanter is a wine and lifestyle magazine, published monthly in around 90 countries. The magazine includes industry news, classic guides and advice on wine and spirits.
-
2024
94/100
James Suckling is an influential American wine critic and journalist who worked at Wine Spectator for 30 years. He left the magazine in 2010 to start his own website and guidebook (JamesSuckling.com). He specialises in Italian and Bordeaux wines.
-
2024
4Italian Sommelier Association (AIS) guide
Tasting notes
Perfume
Color
Taste
Serve at:
10 - 12 °C
Longevity:
05 - 10 years
- Start up year: 1960
- Oenologist: Davide Rosso
- Bottles produced: 55.000
- Hectares: 9
Giovanni's son, Davide, studied Oenology and gained invaluable experience in France. In 2001 Davide, then 27 years old, took charge of the vinification & affinamento/elevage of the wines with one goal in mind: "Wine should be a perfect copy of its terroir"... in this case from the slopes of Serralunga d'Alba, among the finest soils in the world.
The Giovanni Rosso cantina (winery) is located in the hamlet of Baudana, just a couple of kilometres north of Serralunga d'Alba village. A traditional family cascina, or farmhouse, it houses the fermentation, ageing, bottling and labeling facilities as well as the offices.
Davide Rosso has been looking for many years for a new terroir where he could face a new challenge himself. The side-project was officially born in May 2016 with the purchase of the Etna estate near the village Solicchiata of Castiglione di Sicilia. The farm rises a few kilometers before Passopisciaro down to Montedolce, a small inactive crater that gives the name to the Contrada. We are in the northeast side of the volcano, a perfectly suited area for the production of red wines. The new holdings extend for fourteen hectares in one single plot among which just something more than six hectares are dedicated to viticulture: 1.2 ha for the whites and 5.5 ha for the reds (Carricante and Nerello Mascalese with small percentages of other local grape varieties, as the tradition requires). The training system has been renamed as "candelabro". Read more
| Name | Giovanni Rosso Etna Bianco Contrada Pietra Marina Ester Canale Rosso 2024 |
|---|---|
| Type | White still |
| Denomination | Etna DOC |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Size | 0,75 l |
| Alcohol content | 13.0% by volume |
| Grape varieties | 100% Carricante |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Vendor | Giovanni Rosso |
| Story | History and Curiosities Founded in 1960 and now expertly led by oenologist Davide Rosso, the winery produces the Etna Bianco Contrada Pietra Marina, a true excellence born in Castiglione di Sicilia. This prestigious wine has its roots in volcanic-fluvial soils at an altitude of 537 metres, where the vineyards, trained in the candelabra style, benefit from an ideal northern exposure. The volcano's extreme terroir imparts a vibrant energy to the glass, celebrated internationally with 94 points from James Suckling and the 4 Vines AIS, ensuring a tasting experience of rare elegance. |
| Origin | Contrada Pietra Marina, Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) |
| Climate | North exposure, altitude 537 m a.s.l. |
| Soil composition | Volcanic-fluvial soil with sandstone outcrops |
| Harvest | October |
| Fermentation temperature | Low temperature |
| Fermentation | 15-20 days |
| Production technique | Soft pressing of whole bunches; low temperature fermentation in stainless steel tanks; ageing on fine lees (sur lies) with weekly bâtonnage in steel |
| Wine making | After a soft pressing of the whole bunches, the must ferments at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks for 15-20 days; ageing on the fine lees for five months with weekly bâtonnage in steel tanks. |
| Aging | Aged on fine lees for five months with weekly bâtonnage in stainless steel tanks |
| Allergens | Contains sulphites |