2014 Tenuta di Fessina Musmeci Etna Rosso Riserva Sicily 750 ml

Every year, critics tout the Tenuta di Fessina Musmeci as one of the best wines in its class. Wine Enthusiast said it’s “quickly reaching cult status,” Wine Advocate called the winery “one of the best in the territory,” and Gambero Rosso has made the estate a mainstay on its Tre Bicchieri list, the top honor in Italian wine. 

Grown on ancient vines on the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, the 2014 Musmeci Etna Rosso shows exactly why the critics are so crazy about this wine. It’s one the purest expressions of Sicilian terroir we’ve found.

The native Nerello Mascalese grape thrives on Mount Etna’s volcanic slopes, and the Musmeci comes from 80-year-old vines on a single 14-acre site—one squeezed between two ancient lava flows that wrap the vineyard like a French clos. The mineral-rich soils and microclimate lend the wine a character that speaks directly to its place of origin. Like our Master Sommelier Sur Lucero said while swirling his glass: “This is terroir transparency.” 

Fessina’s densely planted old vines are low-yielding and require extra time and attention, but produce more complex and concentrated grapes. The Musmeci’s exceptionally long aging regimen consists of 10–12 months in French oak barrels, 6–8 months in large oak barrels, then at least four years in the bottle, during which the wine’s sultry nuances emerge. 

Considering the multitude of collectors who have locked onto Sicily and Mount Etna in recent years, it’s only a matter of time before the region’s “cult” bottlings, like this one, see their prices go through the roof.