2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietramarina
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Tasting notes
The nose on this Carricante shows the complexity of age with incense and burning leaves, grilled chicken and spices and cooked lemons. Lemons and seashells appear on the saline-citrus palate, before revealing sweet tea and cooked apples. A palpable heat magnifies the still animated acid. — Danielle Callegari
Critic scores
Average Score
Eric Guido, Vinous
Decanter
More reviews and scores
From the head-trained vines of Milo, the only area for which the Superiore designation can be used for Carricante. Straw yellow with bright greenish reflections, this has refined aromas of orange blossom, thyme, hay, ripe apple and flint hints. It's taut and vertical, with a savoury finish and remarkable persistence. Sharp, expressive purity. ~ Tiziano Gaia
The 2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina makes itself known with a beguiling bouquet that blends crushed oyster shells with rosemary, young apricot and hints of smoke. It's deeply textural and elegant in feel, with ripe pit fruits that cascade across a core of zesty acids, as nuances of green citrus pinch at the cheeks. This leaves the palate buzzing with residual energy, fresh melon tones linger and are framed by a coating of salty minerality. While the 2017 shows a bit of extra ripeness from the warm vintage, it does so in such a seductive and balanced way. This is top-shelf Etna Bianco by every scope of the imagination. The Pietra Marina is an old-vines selection of Carricante from the Rinazzo Contrada on Etna's eastern slope. It refines for 24 months on the lees in stainless steel vats prior to bottling.
The 2017 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina makes itself known with a beguiling bouquet that blends crushed oyster shells with rosemary, young apricot and hints of smoke. It’s deeply textural and elegant in feel, with ripe pit fruits that cascade across a core of zesty acids, as nuances of green citrus pinch at the cheeks. This leaves the palate buzzing with residual energy; fresh melon tones linger and are framed by a coating of salty minerality. While the 2017 shows a bit of extra ripeness from the warm vintage, it does so in such a seductive and balanced way. This is top-shelf Etna Bianco by every scope of the imagination. The Pietra Marina is an old-vines selection of Carricante from the Rinazzo Contrada on Etna’s eastern slope. It refines for 24 months on the lees in stainless steel vats prior to bottling.
About the producer
Benanti is one of the founding fathers of modern-day wine in Sicily, with Giuseppe Benanti an early champion of wines made from the slopes of Mount Etna. Today the property is in the hands of Giuseppe’s children and remains one of the region’s leading names.