Winemaker Notes
Bright straw yellow in color with intense notes of peach and exotic fruits on the nose, which blend with sensations of iodine and white pepper. Fresh and flavorsome, lively but also balanced. Pleasantly lingering aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of pear drops and candied lemons with some summer flowers and hints of mint. Notes of stony soil, too. Clean, juicy and focused with a medium body and vivid acidity. Refreshing and easy to drink.
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Wine Enthusiast
A nose that's bursting with lime and crushed rock and then white peach and a hint of toasted almond gives way to a palate that's even brighter with citrus and acidity with a slightly bitter, salty finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Etna Bianco Lavico is a bright straw color and is savory but pure, coming from vines that are roughly 24 years old grown at 700 meters elevation. In the glass, it boasts a floral and delicately tropical perfume with notes of honeycomb, ginger, chamomile, and melon. Medium-bodied, it has a pithy texture and a clean finish.
Founded in 1824, Duca di Salaparuta stands as one of Sicily's most historic and influential wineries, helping elevate the island from bulk-wine production to a respected fine-wine region. The estate cemented its legacy in 1984 with the release of Duca Enrico, Sicily's first 100% Nero d'Avola and the first wine south of Tuscany to earn the Tre Bicchieri Award, marking a turning point in Sicilian wine history. Today, as Sicily's largest private winery, Duca di Salaparuta remains future-focused, championing innovation, sustainability, and cultural stewardship across its three estates, while protecting the balance and longevity of the traditions that define its roots.
Carricante has grown on the slopes of Sicily’s Mt. Etna for the last thousand years. It is the dominant grape in Etna Bianco DOC blends, with Catarratto as a possible minor blending partner. The best examples come from volcanic soils at higher altitudes where a large diurnal temperature shift allows slow and steady ripening and the development of Carricante’s naturally high acidity. Somm Secret—A vine variety capable of high yields if not tended to properly, Carricante gets its name from, carica, the Italian word for “load.”
A large, geographically and climatically diverse island, just off the toe of Italy, Sicily has long been recognized for its fortified Marsala wines. But it is also a wonderful source of diverse, high quality red and white wines. Steadily increasing in popularity over the past few decades, Italy’s fourth largest wine-producing region is finally receiving the accolades it deserves and shining in today's global market.
Though most think of the climate here as simply hot and dry, variations on this sun-drenched island range from cool Mediterranean along the coastlines to more extreme in its inland zones. Of particular note are the various microclimates of Europe's largest volcano, Mount Etna, where vineyards grow on drastically steep hillsides and varying aspects to the Ionian Sea. The more noteworthy red and white Sicilian wines that come from the volcanic soils of Mount Etna include Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio (reds) and Carricante (whites). All share a racy streak of minerality and, at their best, bear resemblance to their respective red and white Burgundies.
Nero d’Avola is the most widely planted red variety, and is great either as single varietal bottling or in blends with other indigenous varieties or even with international ones. For example, Nero d'Avola is blended with the lighter and floral, Frappato grape, to create the elegant, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, one of the more traditional and respected Sicilian wines of the island.
Grillo and Inzolia, the grapes of Marsala, are also used to produce aromatic, crisp dry Sicilian white. Pantelleria, a subtropical island belonging to the province of Sicily, specializes in Moscato di Pantelleria, made from the variety locally known as Zibibbo.