Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow with green shades. Notes of graphite, orange zest, mango, broom, and aromatic herbs. Candied entry on the palate, with buttery notes and a savory, salty marine finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lime, green apples, lemongrass, and a touch of parsnip. Flint. Light- to medium-bodied, brisk acidity with underlying salty mineral characters. Subtle and crisp. Vivid acidity at the end. High altitude.
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Vinous
Smokey and minerally intense from the first tilt of the glass, the 2021 Etna Bianco A' Puddara bursts open with a blend of crushed rocks, young peach and a tangerine spritz. It's silky and refined, also quite savory, with waves of tart orchard fruit energized by brisk acidity as a saline tinge adds contrast toward the close. The 2021 finishes long and staining with suggestions of raw almond and green apple that slowly fade.
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Wine Spectator
A minerally white, with crisp acidity providing fine definition and a snappy frame for flavors of yellow plum and blanched almond, with accents of chamomile, crunchy peach and grapefruit pith. This is refreshing on its own but will also pair nicely with seafood. Drink now through 2029.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
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.