Made with 80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio, the Barone di Villagrande 2020 Etna Rosso shows a medium dark color with soft aromas of wild cherry and plum. The wine has a softer and more accessible side, especially in this warm vintage, because the vines are positioned closer to the sea.

Barone di Villagrande has vineyards on the side of Etna that faces the open sea. The 2017 Etna Rosso is a little softer at the edges, presumably thanks to the luminous reflection and extra heat that shines off the sea. This was a notoriously hot and dry vintage in most of Italy, but this corner of Etna always sees more rainfall than other parts of the volcano. The wine is tight and linear with fresh notes of red currant and red cranberry. You get some tannic astringency on the close. The blend is 80% Nerello Mascalese with 20% Nerello Cappuccio and Nerello Mantellato, all aged in wood for 12 months. Some 33,000 bottles were made.

The 2016 Etna Rosso reveals a strong, tangy cherry note at its core. The wine is defined by the darkness and the intensity of that single aromatic protagonist. To frame that fruit, you get pencil shavings, ash and black licorice. Barone di Villagrande occupies its own special position on the Etna volcano (in Milo, facing the sea), and that darker, more saturated cherry note is what makes this wine different. Another difference is that it ages in chestnut wood barrels, and there is indeed a darker, almost nutty side to the bouquet. That classic Etna mineral note is not as prominent. The blend is 80% Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio with 20% Nerello Mantellato. Some 32,000 bottles were made.

Thanks to a small percentage of Nerello Cappuccio, the 2015 Etna Rosso show a deeper ruby color. This wine is made on the Milo side of Etna on the southern flank of the volcano that is more open to the sea and extreme weather. The final blend is mostly Nerello Mascalese with smaller percentages of Nerello Cappuccio and Nerello Mantellato. This wine ages in chestnut wood casks. This helps to give the wine a much tighter tannic astringency. Give the wine another year or two of bottle aging.

The 2014 Etna Rosso offers dark and exuberant fruit that jumps right out at you. This wine is very different from the other Etna Rosso expressions you find on the northern side of the volcanic cone. The fruit here is darker and shows more rich fleshiness. I would argue that the results in this case are slightly less nuanced and layered as a result. This is a good option for near and medium-term consumption.