Tenute Bosco

Etna Rosso 'Vico' 2016

96

This had better be bloody good for a hundred bucks — and guess what, it is terrific. It was graced with the coveted “Tre Bicchieri” or “Three Glasses” award by the highly respected Italian food and wine publication Gambero Rosso in 2020, and it clearly deserved all three of those glasses. Tasted now, it is really hitting its stride, with marvelously complex aromas that interlace sweet fruit notes with accents of spices and savory herbs. The flavors are even more intricate, with red and black cherry fruit notes that recall both fresh and dried versions of those fruits, plus suggestions of plum and pomegranate. But the cool thing is, this is really a wine expressing rock more than sunny fruit, and the particular rock is of course Mt. Etna, which imparts its signature in the form of a saline-like minerality that makes this rivetingly interesting, sip after sip. It has been a while since I tasted a wine this exciting — or was as saddened by the bottle running dry!

Tenute Bosco

Etna Rosso 'Vico' 2016

94

Aromas of cedar, dried flowers and dried strawberries with some cherry follow through to a medium body, with fine tannins and a lovely polished finish. Refined and pretty. Just a hint of salted caramel at the end. From ancient vines. Drink now or hold.

Tenute Bosco

Etna Rosso 'Vico' 2016

94

The sanguine, warm nose is undergirded by notes of brick and soil, but fresher aromas of cherries, bergamot and fennel provide balance. The interplay between cherry-red liveliness and dusty, metallic earthiness continues on the palate, until dense tannins march you into a salty, acidic finish.