Eruzione 1614 Nerello Mascalese, Planeta 2021 75cl
If you want to understand why sommeliers fell for Etna, start here. Nerello Mascalese is the grape behind Etna Rosso, and this Planeta bottling grows on the lava flow left by the 1614 eruption — the longest ever recorded on the volcano, ten years of it — at high altitude on Sicily's northern slopes.
Nerello is often called the volcanic Nebbiolo, and the comparison holds: pale in colour, high in acid and tannin, all perfume and structure rather than sheer weight. Planeta farm this plot organically, and the black mineral soils show up unmistakably in the glass. The result is frequently likened to fine Burgundy or Barbaresco.
Expect a pale ruby wine with a nose that starts savoury and herbal — stone, salt, pepper, oregano, wild fennel — before cherry blossom, hibiscus and strawberry drift through. The palate is all vibrant acidity and pure red fruit, threaded with rose petal, carried on silky, compact tannins to a mineral, cellar-worthy finish. Elegant and lyrical, not loud.
At £29.99 this is a smart buy — a benchmark Etna red from a top producer, with the acidity and grip to develop for another five or six years. For the Pinot or Nebbiolo lover looking for their next obsession, this is it. Serious value for the style.
How to Serve
Serve at 15–16°C in a large-bowled glass. Decant for thirty to sixty minutes to let the fruit and minerality build.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot Lamb's Conduit Street, spiritual home of wines like this. Bibendum. Dandy on Maltby Street for a lower-key evening.
Food Pairings
Roast pork with fennel and herbs mirrors its savoury side. A plate of aged pecorino works just as happily.
