Why Graci Arcurìa is a Sicilian red to watch
Recently chosen by Angelo Gaja to be their Sicilian partner, Stephen Brook has tasted four vintages of this leading Etna producer, during the Taormina Gourmet festival in October 2018...
With his dark curly hair and penetrating eyes, Alberto Graci still seems exceptionally young to have been a pioneer of the Etna wine revival.
From the time this former banker bought his first vineyards in 2004, Graci has fully understood their potential, which he is keen to maximise without indulging in excessive intervention.
Scroll down to see Stephen’s tasting notes & scores
He has vineyards at 6-700m (Arcurìa), as well as the more extreme elevation of 1000m (Barbabecchi). Graci’s farming is organic, and some parcels are planted to a very high density of 10,000 vines per hectare.Arcurìa in Passopisciaro is his main site, with 18ha planted, although three of them are white varieties destined for Etna Bianco. The soil here is volcanic, mixed with some sand and iron deposits.
Arcurìa
In the past, the Arcurìa wine was labelled as Quota 600, but since 2012 it has been given its proper single-vineyard name. The site is planted with Etna’s principal red variety, Nerello Mascalese, which gives wines that are perfumed and seductive but also have considerable tannins and structure. Achieving the right balance between these disparate elements is no easy task.
Graci does not want to mask the personality of his wines, nor their fidelity to the special character of each vintage. So rather than use new oak, he ferments his wines in larger casks fashioned from Nevers oak.
He employs natural yeasts and dispenses with temperature control, and the maceration period is generally around 25 days. The wine is aged for 18 months in casks then bottled without filtration.
Vintage variation can be pronounced on Etna thanks to its elevation and susceptibility to unexpected rainfall. This is not something that Graci wishes to gloss over, thus extremely hot years such as 2012 and damper but fresher vintages such as 2015 produce very different wines.
In partnership
The great Piedmontese winemaker Angelo Gaja does not suffer fools gladly, so there was international attention when he decided to initiate a joint venture on Etna, and chose Graci as his partner, which validated Alberto’s status as one of the region’s leading producers. Their first wines have yet to be released.
Graci Arcurìa for the cellar:
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Graci, Arcuria, Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2012
2012 was an exceptionally hot year in Etna, and many wines turned out to be monolithic and very high in alcohol - Graci managed to avoid these pitfalls. The nose remains fragrant, scented with red fruits but also with savoury and liquorice tones. It's not fully expressive yet as it's still dense and tannic, but there is firm acidity and ample spice, and the wine has a long future ahead.
2012
GraciEtna
Graci, Arcuria, Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2013
A tricky vintage with a wet September threatening disaster. The year was saved by an Indian summer in October, yielding wines of elegance rather than power. This is reflected on the bright, floral red-fruit aroma, and while the palate is only medium-bodied, the texture is silky and elegant without any loss of concentration. It's less dense than the 2012 but more refined, with a long, balanced finish.
2013
GraciEtna
Graci, Arcuria, Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2014
The firm tannins that were evident when the wine was released have now harmonised. The nose is delicate and fragrant but lively, with raspberry and mint aromas. It's very concentrated and sleek, with a finish that's packed with spice and pepper. It's elegant and long, making this an exceptional result from a hot year.
2014
GraciEtna
Graci, Arcuria, Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2015
Graci makes beautifully elegant reds, grown at 600m on the black slopes of Etna. Delicate with wild strawberry, raspberry and violet notes and an ethereal texture and weight. Burgundian in style, but with a smoky intensity and volcanic personality all of its own.
2015
GraciEtna
Graci, Arcuria Sopra di Pozzo, Etna, Sicily, Italy, 2015
This was the first vintage of an outstanding parcel within Arcuria that henceforth is bottled separately. For all the excellence of the regular 2015, this is different, with richer raspberry aromas and greater aromatic weight. It's very elegant and silky, highly concentrated with fine acidity. It's more skeletal now than the regular wine: taut, lingering and very long.
2015
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