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I Custodi (Salvo Foti), Etna Rosso 'Aetneus', 2020

Red Wine from Sicily, Italy
by I Custodi (Salvo Foti)
$61.99
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This is the top red from I Custodi, and it earns the billing the hard way: alberello bush vines running up to 150 years old, hand-trained the old Etna way on the volcano's northern slope. It's led by Nerello Mascalese, the grape people keep comparing to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir for its perfume and its refusal to be rushed, filled out with Nerello Cappuccio, Alicante and a scattering of old field varieties. The fruit comes from a single 2.2-hectare plot in Contrada Moganazzi at 700 meters on sandy volcanic soil, certified organic and worked by the I Vigneri guild that Salvo Foti revived. 2020 was a balanced, generous season on the mountain with fine weather holding into late autumn, and the wine got the full treatment — two years in barrel and another eighteen months in bottle before release — so it arrives already showing some grace. A serious, age-worthy Etna red built to unwind over years, with roughly 800 cases made.

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Antonio Galloni

95 points

"The 2020 Etna Rosso Aetneus smolders up with a darkly floral mix of mentholated black cherries, dried violets and ashen stones. Silken textures, cooling acidity and ripe wild berry fruits wash across the palate. A saturation of minerals and fine tannins amass toward the close. Built for the cellar, this finishes long and structured with a resonance of sour citrus and lavender pastille. The 2020 is a gorgeous rendition of I Custodi's Aetneus." —Eric Guido

Robert Parker

93 points

"The I Custodi 2020 Etna Rosso Contrada Muganazzi Aetneus is Nerello Mascalese with 20% Nerello Cappuccio that is fermented in stainless steel and aged in tonneaux for 18 months. Nerello Cappuccio adds a spicy character to this wine with hints of black pepper and nutmeg, but when you dig down to the core of this medium-bodied red, you get a pretty blast of primary freshness with wild cherry and blackcurrant. These vineyards are located at 680 meters above sea level with especially rocky volcanic soils" —Robert Parker

More about

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Nerello Mascalese

  • Vintage

    2020

  • Size

    750ml

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Braised lamb, wild mushroom risotto, aged pecorino, or roast duck.

Tasting Profile

Dry, medium-bodied, ruby and translucent. Red cherry, dried rose and tobacco with firm, fine tannins and volcanic minerality; the long aging has already smoothed the edges.