From Antichi Vinai 1877, the 2013 Etna Rosso Riserva Koinè shows a dry and dusty personality with dried cranberry, black currant, spicy toast and camphor ash. The wine offers medium extraction with good power and density. Evolved notes of smoke and flint also show. The wine ages in large oak casks made of chestnut and oak for 36 months. Only 4,000 bottles were made.

The 2011 Etna Rosso Koinè is an extremely ripe wine with cooked aromas of dark plum, red apple and blackberry. There are some notes of dark mineral and grilled herb, but the bouquet is muddled. All that ripe fruit is backed by a large dose of oak spice that has not fully integrated. This warm, fruit-forward style is best for near-term consumption. The blend is Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio.

The 2010 Etna Rosso Koine is heavily weighed down by oak-related aromas of sandalwood and church incense that mask many of the delicate forest floor and wild berry aromas usually associated with Nerello Mascalese (95%) and Nerello Cappuccio. This Etna red sees 18 months in walnut and oak casks and the natural perfumes of the wood have deeply penetrated this wine. The close is redolent of teriyaki spice and smoky barbecue sauce. Those spice flavors come in stark contrast against the austerity and general astringency of the wine’s dry tannins. Giving it two or three more years of bottle age should help to move the wine towards a greater sense of integration and balance. Drink 2015-2021. Four generations of the Gangemi family boast 100 years of collective winemaking experience on Mt. Etna. In addition to the wines they make from the slopes of the volcano in Castiglione, Randazzo and Passopisciaro, Antica Vinai 1877 also offers a large portfolio of well-priced wines with fruit form various areas of Sicily (including the Nero d’Avola D’A reviewed here). Importer: WS Selections, www.wsselections.com