The 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina captivates. It’s perfumed and floral, with enriching notes of almond paste and confectionery spice that perfectly accentuate a smoky core of white peaches. There’s more lift on the palate, but it's a little backward, possessing wiry textures and an intense mineral core that adds depth to its citrus-inflected orchard fruits. Nervous acidity forces the mouth to water and maintains a dazzling freshness as inner florals resonate and a sour lime concentration settles in. The 2019 is just an infant today, compact yet complex, balanced and loaded with character. It will be a gorgeous Etna Bianco to follow over the next decade or more.

...the 2019 Etna Bianco Superiore Pietra Marina is nothing short of spellbinding.

Appellation: Etna D.O.C. Bianco Superiore, which accounts for about 1% of the aggregate Etna D.O.C. production

Grape variety: Carricante, the noble indigenous white grape of the Etna volcano. The berries are medium-sized with very pruinose skin and a green-yellowish color. The bunches are of average length and scattered

Vineyard: “Contrada” Rinazzo in the village of Milo, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna, facing the Ionian Sea Altitude c.800 m a.s.l. (c.2,600 feet a.s.l.)
Climate: Mountain climate, humid, rainy and snowy in winter, with very high ventilation, luminosity and diurnal range

Soil: Volcanic sands, rich in minerals, with sub-acid reaction (pH = 6.5) Age and training system of vines Up to 80 years old, head-trained, short-pruned bush vines grown on small terraces with dry lava-stone walls

Vine density: From 8,000 to 9,000 vinestocks per hectare. Yield is c.5,500 kg per hectare

Vinification: The selected grapes are hand-picked in mid-October, sorted, de-stemmed and softly pressed. Fermentation of the free-run juice occurs for about 15 days at controlled temperature in a stainless steel vat, with an indigenous yeast selected in the vineyard by Benanti exclusively for the vinification of the Carricante variety. The wine then matures in stainless steel on the fine lees for 30 months, with frequent stirring, until bottling.

Refining: In the bottle for 12 months

ABV: 12 - 12.5% by VOL.