Planeta Mamertino Sicily 2018
Sundays in Sicily! Exploding into your inbox and onto your app like Mount Etna herself — 95 POINT Sicilian stunner from Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Winemaker of the Year for WHAT price?
Dude…duuuuude! We’re geeking out together today, you and I. Alessio Planeta — Wine Enthusiast’s Winemaker of the Year 2023…crafting some of the coolest (I’m talking polar bears and penguins, folks) wines anywhere on the planet!!! That this so happens to be from Sicily — the land of old-school mafiosos and arancini — is just pure gravy on top, baby! Let’s goooo!
20 miles north of Mount Etna, 60% nero d’avola, 40% nocera. The gorgeous peninsula of Capo Milazzo, near Messina – the historic pilgrimage gateway to Jerusalem, and one of the tiniest regions, (and most historic ones) in the entire winemaking world!!!
MAMERTINO! Planeta continues its journey to bring you the wines you never knew you needed – forever altering your wine consciousness, breaking down barriers you weren’t ever aware existed. Wines have been made here, on the Capo Milazzo peninsula – “The Spur of Sicily” – since 289 B.C.!!! The Mamertini people made Julius Caesar a champion of their wines, which would flourish throughout much of the Roman Empire, even classified as a “4th Growth” of top quality by Pliny the Elder! I mean, C’MON! That’s just cool…
But the wine…THE WINE! After nearly going extinct in the last century, Planeta has teamed with local growers to protect this amazing land and rebuild what was once a bustling industry of prized vineyards and iconic wines. Two rare grapes – almost never seen off the island of Sicily, organically grown in granite and silt-based soil – covered by nearly two feet of volcanic ash! Deeply purple and concentrated – you might mistake this for Right Bank cabernet franc at first glance. But then the aromas – the elegantly floral and mineral-twinged bouquet!!! Am I in Burgundy? Your first sip is going to blow your hair back…the graphite! The crunchy and bright red raspberry, tart cran-apple, sangiovese-esque blood orange!!
Aaaaahhhh…this is heaven! NO OAK, all stainless steel, and the wine only soaks on the skins for 10 days… yet somehow pulls this tremendously ruby hue, and just the right amount of weight and structure. Cool ocean breezes for days, baby! Salty, savory, and SCINTILLATING! Right around 1600 cases total… which accounts for nearly 40% of the entire region’s production! So yeah, not much to go around…do what you must…FLY if you have to – just get some!!!
** Wedding weekends in the Hamptons! I feel proper posh, and completely out of my element. Is it bad form to two-fist from bottles of Champagne at 10 am? Help! **
Free ground shipping on 4 or more bottles.
95 points
“Sourced from vines growing 20 miles north of Mt. Etna. Enticing earthy aromas and red berry fruits laced with brown spices. Medium-bodied with juicy, upfront acidity balanced by fine-grained tannins and saline-scented minerals. Inviting and delectable from Alessio Planeta, one of the top winemakers in the region. 60% Nero d'Avola and 40% Nocera.”
~Tasting Panel
A young company with ancient roots, that’s Planeta Mamertino.
Technical Details
- Country: Italy
- Region: Sicily
- Appellation: Mamertino
- Blend: 60% Nero d'Avola, 40% Nocera
- Varietal: Red Blends
- Winemaker: Alessio Planeta
- Aging/Cooperage: 12
- Harvest Date: Nero d'Avola from 6th to 9th September; Nocera from 11st to 13rd September
- Alcohol: 13.50%
About The Producer
The Planeta Family has a relationship with Scicily’s land that spans seventeen generations. Since the 1600s, they have cultivated vines and olives at their Ulmo estate in western Sambuca di Sicilia, but it was Grandfather Vito who transformed their small family holdings into a cooperative powerhouse in the 1900s. He was a key player in Sicily’s winemaking renaissance, serving as chairman of the regional institute for vines and wine. Vito’s focus was on innovation and encouraged his successors to adopt new strides in winemaking, even if they veered from ancient tradition. Throughout the 20th century, the Planeta holdings grew, and now span across Sicily; they operate on five vineyard sites in Capo Milazzo, Etna, Vittoria, Noto, and Menfi.
Pairing Suggestions
Oxtail soup
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