Sicily and her native grape, Nerello Mascalese, have done more to capture the imagination of curious winemakers than any other wine region in the world. Imagine it—ancient vineyards with 100+ year old vines, buried in volcanic soils as black as pitch, under the shadow and persistent smoke from Mount Etna’s steaming caldera.

Yet while the idea of Etna and its fiery soul may be inspiring, what really captivated us are the wines from the very old estate of Scilio. If any winery can claim to be the true representative of the best of Etna, it is Scilio. For more than 100 years, generations of this family have lived, loved and worked on the slopes of Etna, growing grapes and making world-class wines. So much of the hype over Etna has exploded in the past 10 years; yet while newbies will come and go, Scilio is—and will remain—the beacon for the best Etna has to offer.

Orpheus is the estate’s top selection of Nerello Mascalese, from older vines growing in pure lava from the family’s highest vineyards. It shows the beauty and concentration of Nerello in its finest form, with intense and varied aromas, lots of juice and a silky finish that seems to last as long as the summer in Sicily. It is the complexity of this wine, however, that puts it in the league of Italy’s most revered bottles from Piedmont or Tuscany—and should be treasured as such.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012