The 2020 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Eruzione 1614 opens to a medium dark ruby hue with lively primary fruit. Wild berry and cassis are backed by softly rendered oak tones of cinnamon and campfire ash. Even though it is technically outside of the DOC (by just a few yards), this is one of the most beautiful growing sites on Etna. The tannins are firm but silky, meaning you can drink this bottle straight out of the gate.

In this edition of 14,000 bottles, the 2018 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Eruzione 1614 is a beautifully elegant and streamlined wine that reflects the precision and careful winemaking that is a hallmark of the Planeta family. This wine opens to fine and nuanced aromas of wild berry, cassis and rose. Etched mineral notes and light spice frame a core of pretty fruit. This is a classic Etna red that can be stretched out to a 10-year drinking window if desired, although there's no reason not to enjoy this bottle straight out of the gate.

Planeta's 2017 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Eruzione 1614 reveals a delicate and poised personality with small berry aromas and licorice followed by smoke, tar and ash. The wine delivers a subdued mouthfeel that slowly grows in intensity and length. You really taste the grape here, Nerello Mascalese, in its most naked and pure form.

Here's a slightly more accessible wine from Etna (even though it carries a Sicilia appellation). The 2016 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Eruzione 1614 is a steady, mid-weight wine with wild fruit and a touch of garden herb that recalls grilled oregano or wild sage. The wine is silky in texture but also mild and mellow in terms of its impact in the mouth. It could flesh out further with more time in the bottle.

The 2014 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Eruzione 1614 is a drier and more mineral-driven expression compared to its peers. The bouquet delivers an immediate and wide array of volcanic characteristics with ash and crushed-sulfur stone. The mouthfeel is linear and tight with fine tannins that are silky and long in terms of mouthfeel. The wine is excellent, but I am surprised by the subdued presence of primary fruit in a vintage like 2014 that is recognized for its exuberant blackberry and black currant aromas. I am assigning a slightly shorter drinking window as a result.