“Benanti must be part of any conversation about wineries that put Etna on the map” says Eric Guido at Vinous.
When Giuseppe Benanti founded the estate in 1988, only four wineries operated on the volcano and nearly all production was destined for bulk blending. The family committed from the outset to indigenous varieties and rigorous terroir investigation. Giuseppe enlisted a young Salvo Foti as winemaker and sought counsel from academics in Burgundy and Piedmont, conducting more than 150 micro-vinifications in the early years to understand Etna’s clonal diversity and potential. Benanti remains the only estate with vineyards on all four slopes of the Etna DOC. Today the winery is run by Giuseppe’s twin sons, Antonio and Salvino, producing roughly 250,000 bottles annually from 28 hectares of organically farmed vines.
Particella No. 587 is the southeast-slope counterpart to the Rovittello Riserva, sourced from pre-phylloxera, ungrafted vines within Contrada Monte Serra near Viagrande — the area of origin for the Benanti family itself. The vineyard sits at approximately 500 meters, planted on steep, sandy volcanic soil with pumice. The blend is roughly 85% nerello mascalese and 15% nerello cappuccio. Like the Rovittello Riserva, the production cycle spans sixty months: long maceration with indigenous yeasts, aging in large French oak casks, then stainless steel and bottle.
Where the Rovittello Particella 341 from the northern slope tends toward structure and austerity, the Serra della Contessa leans into richness and saturation. Crushed dark fruit, dried violet, salted licorice, iron, and a velvety texture that carries unexpected freshness through a long, balsamic finish. With nearly a decade of age, this is showing beautifully — the tannins polished, the volcanic mineral character fully integrated. 95 points from Vinous.
