Pietradolce Etna Bianco 2020
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Soft straw yellow. The bouquet shows lovely aromas that highlight the freshness and lovely character of this wine.
Blend: 100% Carricante
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An attractive Etna dry white with a wide spectrum of citrus aromas, including blood orange. Juicy front palate, then the firm mineral acidity that gives it length charges through. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A pure expression of Carricante, the entry-level Pietradolce 2020 Etna Bianco is a fun and versatile wine made in a simple manner in steel vats to lock in freshness. The bouquet reveals citrus, white peach and crushed stone. Fruit is drawn from a five-hectare site at a high 750 meters above sea level with well-draining sandy soils mixed in with lots of stones. The wine is clean and snappy, and that pretty acidity adds lots of life and spirit to the bouquet.
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Wine & Spirits
This wine comes across as quiet and firm, requiring some air before revealing flavors of tart lemon and tangy green apple, those fruit tones infused with white smoke and salinity. Decant before serving to let those savory citrus flavors emerge.
Other Vintages
2021-
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Robert
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Enthusiast
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Robert
At the heart of their philosophy lies a deep love and respect for the land on which we depend, getting the best from traditional methods while using with wisdom the latest developments in grape growing and wine making without compromising the environment that gives life to their passion.
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.