In the glass
Aroma: blackberry, violet, pepper, earthy spice
Palate: dark fruit, black pepper, firm tannin, coffee
Fatagione is one of Italy's most unusual cuvees: pure Mondeuse (Savoie's signature red grape) grown at altitude on Etna's volcanic soils, producing a peppery, full-bodied red of singular character.
What it pairs with
-
Wild boar stew with juniper
The wine's pepper and dark-fruit intensity pair beautifully with the resinous spice of game stew. -
Grilled Sicilian beef tagliata
Full body and firm tannins frame the richness of grilled beef. -
Aged Parmigiano Reggiano with honey
The sweet-spiced honey provides a bridge between the wine's pepper and the cheese's crystalline intensity.
History
Cottanera planted international varieties on Etna's high-altitude north slope in the 1990s, making it among the first to demonstrate the viability of French and Alpine grapes on the volcano. Fatagione from pure Mondeuse is the most distinctive expression of this experiment, producing a full-bodied peppery red with no Sicilian parallel.
- 2000 — First Fatagione vintage; Mondeuse on Etna established as a unique proposition
Facts
- Producer
- Cottanera
- Grapes
- Mondeuse
- Classification
- Sicilia IGT
- Oak
- 12 months in French oak barriques (30% new)
- ABV
- 14.0%
- Price
- €30-50 at retail
- Drinking window
- 3-12 from vintage
- First vintage
- 2000