Mandrarossa and Its Rediscovered Stories

The sudden fanfare surrounding new wine labels these days seems to preclude the fact that great wines come from hard work and the benefit of time. 

Twenty years of study have flown by since the inception of Mandrarossa. This project is a study of the best combinations of grape varieties and terroirs in Sicily. The idea is that it is a modern day story akin to the Benedictine monks in Burgundy fast-forwarded a few hundred years and speeded up thanks to technology and global research. Based in the Menfi area, on the island's southwestern coast - almost directly across from Palermo on the north coast, the Mandrarossa project is a study of "micro-terroirs".

As such, they are called "vini di contrada" (this term noted prominently on the label), or "single territory wines." The parcels are looked after by viticulturalists Mimmo De Gregorio and Filippo Buttafuoco. Consultant Alberto Antonini oversees the wines, which are mostly varietal. I don't know who illustrates the labels, but credit should be given there, too, for the beautiful and vivid depiction of the wines' cultural origins.

92
Mandrarossa 2017 Bianco Sicilia Bertolino Soprano 12.5%
This Grillo has a delectable bite. It seems to come from a combination of limestone's crunchy effect on the palate along with the salty sea breezes of the near-by Mediterranean Sea. It's a savory wine replete with a demanding, citrusy presence. It is incredibly concentrated with noticeable pithiness surrounding the ample mid-palate feel, despite the very reasonable 12.5% abv. I often harp on wine temperature, and this is one that should not be served too cold. It blossoms as it warms and starts to offer more pit fruit flavors à la white peach and peach fuzz. Truly delightful, this will only become more interesting with time and has the profound concentration to hold a good while as it is. I love this wine's scintillating minerality.
Drink: 2020-25

92
Mandrarossa 2016 Rosso Sicilia Terre del Sommacco 14%
This incredibly fragrant Nero d’Avola is decidedly savory. Its aromas are very Cuban cigar, crunchy mulberry and dried potting soil. Still, its palate fruit core is decidedly vibrant with rich, drying berry flavors and an impresive tang on the back palate. A darker blackberry tone and a moderately juicy finish lead to a very complete overall impression, whether this is being sipped alone or with food. Like the Bertolino Soprano, this has a good life ahead, and it will be interesting to see which perseveres most gracefully. What is most delightful about this complex red is that it sees no new oak aging.
Drink: 2020-26