2020 Arcurìa, Etna Rosso, Graci, Sicily, Italy

Vinified in large oak vats with a long maceration on the skins, this bottling from contrada Arcurìa in Passopisciaro then spends 18 months in large oak vats known as ‘tini’) and a further six months in bottle. There's a slight hint of farmyard among the pure cherry fruit and orange peel aromas, while in the mouth it's intense and bright with a saline and balsamic character; vertical and sapid. Chalky tannins and fresh acidity provide structure to this sturdy, ageable red.

Drink 2023 - 2036

Dusty and floral, the 2020 Etna Rosso Arcurìa slowly opens with a whiff of chalk dust and sage that gives way to violet pastille and crushed blackberries. This is pure elegance, silky and refined, with a lovely inner sweetness and cooling acidity that soothes and invigorates the palate. It finishes spicy and tannic with admirable length, leaving pretty inner florals and a bitter tinge slowly fading. It will be years before the Arcurìa fully blossoms, but it will be time well spent.

I found the Etna Rossos from Graci among the top wines I tasted for this year's report. Especially the 2018 Arcuria Sopra il Pozzo, which transcends the conditions of this challenging year. The 2020 Rosso Arcuria and Rosso Feudo di Mezzo were equally compelling. However, I can’t say the same for the 2021 and 2022. In both cases, the wines come across as understated to a fault or mineral to the point of being fruit-challenged. When possible, I checked in on a second bottle, each time with the same result. For example, the 2021 Arcuria shows a Band-Aid note on the nose that leads me to suspect Brettanomyces.

Drink 2026 - 2032

A lovely mixture of red fruit and spice on the nose, together with a hint of tea. Medium to full-bodied with very fine tannins. Creamy. There’s a lovely depth of fruit here, which is carried effortlessly by the elegant tannin structure. Lingering finish. Delicious. 

Best after 2025

Only 5,300 bottles were made.

A very different wine next to the Feudo di Mezzo, the Graci 2020 Etna Rosso Arcurìa carries more fruit weight and a savoury personality with blackcurrant, tea leaf, tobacco and maybe a hint of exotic spice. The tannins are more prominent here, and the wine's concentration has definitely upped a notch or two in terms of intensity. The Contrada Arcurìa sits at 650 meters in elevation.

Alberto Aiello Graci is one of the protagonists of the Etna wine movement. He has added a beautiful new white wine to his portfolio from the Contrada Mugnanazzi, which sits at 700 meters above sea level.

Drink 2024 - 2035