Recommended by the New York Times, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, and Many More. Check out our recent press.

Award-winning SF wine shop – free local delivery & fast nationwide shipping. Learn more
Sold out

Benanti Etna Rosso Contrada Calderara Sottana 2022

$6999

Sicilian volcanic power meets Mediterranean finesse in this mineral-driven Nerello Mascalese. Fifty-year-old vines from the Calderara Sottana contrada yield hauntingly dark complexity—crushed volcanic stone, grilled herbs, and dusty black currants meld with exotic spice and brisk acidity. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged 12 months in old French oak, balanced firm tannins with enveloping structure.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

View our complete return policy →

Have Questions?

Our team is here to help.

Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


Add your content here

Antonio Galloni

94 points

"In Calderara Sottana fashion, the 2022 Etna Rosso Contrada Calderara Sottana smolders up from the glass with a hauntingly dark and mineral-inflected blend of crushed ashen stones, grilled herbs and dusty black currants. It’s soft and enveloping yet possesses a powerful core of dark red fruits complicated by exotic spice. Firm tannins mount toward the close. While youthfully structured and intense, the 2022 maintains a marvelous freshness as a bump of brisk acidity adds lift and hints of mint and licorice fade. This really packs a punch, but it also has the balance for extended cellaring." —Eric Guido

Robert Parker

94 points

"This is a relatively new addition to the Benanti portfolio. The 2022 Etna Rosso Contrada Calderara Sottana shows dried fruit and blackcurrant with pressed rose and crushed volcanic rock. Fruit comes from one hectare on the north side of Etna at 685 meters in elevation with a good amount of organic matter in the soils. There is a hint of strawberry-like ripeness on the close, but otherwise, the wine remains impressively tight, polished and streamlined in texture." —Monica Larner

Decanter

94 points

"Old vines in Randazzo at 700 metres above sea level imbue this wine with dark forest fruits, succulent red cherry and raspberry, and a ferrous edge. Sapid and bright, this moreish wine is really fresh and promises lots more to come with further bottle age."

Wine Spectator

93 points

"A silky red, with a lovely, expressive underpinning of tar, licorice and tobacco notes accenting flavors of wild cherry, blood orange peel and dried thyme, all aligned with taut, fine-grained tannins through the long, well-spiced finish. Drink now through 2037."

More about Benanti

We can't discuss the wines of Sicily, and Mount Etna in particular, without referencing the incredible contributions made by the Benanti family over the past half century.

It goes without saying at this point that the wines of Etna are truly singular. The unique indigenous varieties, the incredible volcanic terroir and the backbreaking labor that goes into every bottle make for compelling, captivating wines. In the right hands, they walk a fine line between power (smoke, salt, firm tannins) and elegance (refined fruit and taut textures).

The fame of Sicilian wines has waxed and waned over the centuries. The Greeks and Romans prized the island's sweet wines (Julius Caesar was famously a fan); thousands of years later, continental Europe imported it in droves, and late in the 19th century, phylloxera laid total waste to the industry. By the middle of the 20th century, wine was an important export again, but this time, the wine was largely mass market swill, cheaply made and cheaply sold.

Giuseppe Benanti took the exploitation of his island's greatest treasure personally, and vowed to focus his energies on native varieties — most importantly Nerello Mascalese (and a bit of Nerello Cappuccio) for the reds, and Carricante for the whites — although, in keeping with the times, he did plant some of the more faddish international varieties, like Chardonnay and Pinot. In 1988, the winery was formally established, and in 1990, Benanti's first two wines were released, Pietra Marina Etna Bianco Superiore and Rovittello Etna Rosso.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Nerello Mascalese

  • Vintage

    2022

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Style

    Earthy , Fruity , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Tasting Profile


More wines from Benanti

View all