The Benanti grasp of the history of quality winemaking on Mt Etna -- and its role in the birth and evolution of that history -- as well as the requirements for success in that industry on a going-forward basis, was on full display at a recent Wilson Daniels Chat with Salvino Benanti, one of the two brothers currently running the estate.
Wilson Daniels Wholesale, "the prestigious importer and distributor of luxury wines," recently became the official distributor of Benanti wines in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As a part of its effort to promote the winery, Wilson Daniels recently convened an online panel discussion with Salvino Benanti responding to questions from Mike Papaleo (Wilson Daniels), Hristo Zisovski (Altamarea Group), and Jeremy Noye (Morrell & Co.).
I personally have spent a significant amount of time with Antonio and Salvino (including an InstagramLive Chat with Antonio early in the Coronavirus lockdown) but I learn something new with every interaction. This was no exception. I report on the panel discussion in this post.
On the history of Quality Winemaking on Mt Etna
The opening question to Salvino was about the history of quality winemaking on Mt Etna and his father's role in its formation and evolution. Salvino described how his father's love for wine drove him to pursue making a wine of Burgundian or Northern Italy quality on the moiuntain, while his resources allowed him to experiment and make mistakes along the way, yet live to continue the fight. He recalled accompanying his father to wine fairs as a teenager, and having little or no customer attention at their booth. He described his father being one of a very small band of winemakers (three to be exact) on Mt Etna, versus the 150 or so today.
On Old Vines
Old vines are a treasure that they cherish and protect. The sandy nature of the volcanic soils on Mt Etna has served to keep the phylloxera louse at bay. As a result, there are many old, ungrafted vines on the mountain. In their case, some of the vines in the Viagrande vineyard go back 110 years. Old vine yields continue to decline over time and they need careful tending and protection from pests. Benanti has made the wines from its oldest vines Riservas.
When one of these vines die, they use a grafted clone to replace it. These clones are purchased from a French supplier who has spent a lot of time on the mountain and has selected Nerello Mascarello clones for specific soils as well as rootstock.
Benanti manages the elderly life of these vines in the best possible way, he said with a smile. They are kept in the best possible shape in individual vineyards and are harvested and vinified separately.
They have purchased some new vineyards in recent times and sold others, resulting in an architecture of a core of old vines bolstered by others from the last few decades.
How has Benanti's winemaking changed since Salvo Foti moved on?
Benanti made richer, more concentrated wines in the beginning. When my father started out, he was introduced to Salvo and they worked together to produce a style that was market-relevant. When Antonio and Salvino came on board, they had a different vision as to what the estate's wines should present. They have since moved from smaller to larger barrels, from new to second-passage barrels, and from more oak to less.
They promoted Salvo's deputy to the position of lead enologist to assist in the realization of the vision. Within the new regime, they seek more purity of fruit, less concentration (he continuously used the word elegance), and more of the underlying grapes. They wanted fresh, leaner, pure, precise wines wherein the customer could taste the grape, the soil, and the vintage.
He taste's Salvo's wines today and sees them as being consistent with the style that was employed during his time at Benanti.
Winemaking on Mt Etna
Mt Etna does not yet have a clear wine style. The region currently supports 150 or so labels but, in his view, consumers should focus in on 25 - 30 producers. He is of the view that there will be a shakeout among the producers, given the economics of producing wine on Etna. You will need to be an organized winery to succeed going forward. The game has become very competitive.
For example, Benanti uses thick, dark bottles for all of its wines, with the exception of the Rosato (the implication here is that there is a cost associated with that quality initiative and other producers will have to respond in a like fashion to remain on the same competitive tier.).
They are increasing the competitive pressure. Benanti has invested a lot in cooling equipment. You cannot take the chance that your wine arrives at its destination with less-than-stellar quality. In their view, quality encompasses, the grapes, what is inside the bottle, the bottle, bottle closure, storage, and transportation. They have invested a lot of time and effort in research on corks.
They used to outsource sparkling wine production but have now brought it in-house.
Salvino thinks the industry will become an oligopoly in the mid-term (I will have to explore this idea with him in greater depth at sometime in the future.).
Mt Etna Environment
Mount Etna has a mountain climate in a southern setting. In general, warm days, cool nights, winter, snow, winds, and sunny days. The steep vineyards grow on well-drained volcanic soils which forces the vines to dig deep in search of nutrients.
Vineyards are planted to high density with a low-yield training system. Labor-intensity is high.
Salvino touched lightly on the characteristics of the broad geographic areas and the wines produced in each. I have supplemented his discourse with the below chart, developed after two conversations with Benjamin North (The New Wines of Mt Etna) bracketing a conversation with Antonio Benanti.
Contrada Cavalieri
Salvino brough two wines from the estate's Contrada Series to be tasted at the seminar: 2018 Contrada Cavaliere Etna Bianco and 2017 Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosso. Before discussing the wines, let us explore the Contrada concept and this one specifically.
Vinifrancheti.com describes contrade thusly:
Flowing lava ... eventually stops, spreading and hardening at various altitudes. After cooling for many years, these flatter areas over the centuries become established properties, each one producing a different taste of wine because of the different mineral origin of their soils and, more importantly, because of the grain that the lava had broken into during its cooling process: sand, gravel, powder, or rock. Under the same old names the properties became territorial subdivisions called contrade, and with regards to wine, they represent Etna's own version of a cru.
Salvino described Cavalieri as the most extreme of the contrade in the region. It is very hot and experiences very little rainfall. More details on this contrada is provided in the chart below.
2018 Contrada Cavaliere Etna Bianco and 2017 Contrada Cavaliere Etna Rosso
The Carricante grapes for the Bianco were hand-harvested then de-stemmed and pressed (softly) in the cellar. It was fermented by selected indigenous yeasts for 12 days in stainless steel tanks and matured therein (on the fine lees) for 12 months with periodic stirring. The wine was bottled and aged for another 6 months before being released on the market.
Salvino saw 2018 as a good vintage. This wine is described by the estate as intense, rich, broad, delicate and fruity on the nose with hints of orange blossom and ripe apple. Dry on the palate, mineral, harmonious with a pleasant acidity, aromatic persistence and an aftertaste of anise and almond.
Two thousand and seventeen was a very warm vintage according to Salvino. The Nerello Mascalese grapes were fermented and macerated in stainless steel for 21 days before being placed into French oak tonneaux for 12 months and then into stainless steel once again. The wines were aged in bottle for 10 months prior to market entry.
Salvino tagged this wine as rich, with evident tannins and concentration. Hristo described ripe red fruit, spice and tobacco while Jeremy saw elegance and restraint, with the wine being delicious now but also positioning to be delicious 10 to 20 years down the road.
How is 2020 shaping up?
It is on the warm side; quite dry. He thinks that it will be a vintage similar to 2014 or 2017, but cooler. 2019 was difficult while 2016 was one of the best of recent vintages.
Pietra Marina
Benanti is planning on having this wine spend an additional 1.5 to 2 years in the cellar prior to release. They prefer to release it 5 years after harvest, at the beginning of its evolution. He recommends drinking this wine 8 - 10 years after harvest to catch it at the beginning of its peak.
Jeremy Noye's Perspective on Mt Etna versus Sicilian wine
According to Jeremy, Mt Etna wines have become known and popular in the last 10 - 15 years and have taken over the conversation as to what is Sicilian wine. In the olden days, one's Sicilian portfolio would be loaded with Marsala and Nero d'Avola wines. Today the Morrell Sicilian portfolio is Mt Etna wines and one Marsala.
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