Winemaker Notes
Pietradolce Etna Bianco is 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
The sliced-apple, flower and flint aromas come through clearly here. Medium- to full-bodied with a lovely character and vibrancy, this is focused and poised, showing plenty of fruit and a bright finish. Drink now.
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Vinous
A burst of crushed stones, ginger-spiked green apples, fennel and dried flowers creates an invigorating bouquet as the 2023 Etna Bianco explodes from the glass. It’s silky and enveloping, with a sour tinge of green melon and salty mineral tones that add cheek-puckering tension within. The 2023 tapers off wickedly fresh yet potent. A sour citrus concentration lingers as hints of kiwi and fresh mint slowly recede.
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Wine Spectator
Enticing notes of chamomile and cumin draw you into the glass of this bright and balanced Etna Bianco. Flavors of poached apricot, grainy pear, lemon thyme and beeswax are honed by well-cut acidity that leaves a mouthwatering impression on the minerally finish. Drink now through 2030. 1,900 cases made, 500 cases imported.
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.