Tastings

92 Planeta $27 2018 Sicilia Eruzione 1614 Carricante

This wine tastes like salted lemon rock candy, with a hard mineral core and a dense texture balanced by tangy citrus tones. It combines high-elevation carricante, grown at over 2,800 feet on the slopes of Mt. Etna, with ten percent of riesling, all vinified in stainless steel to preserve the fresh aromas and high-toned, tart fruit flavors that make this a perfect partner for pan-fried sole in a lemon butter sauce. Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL

92 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $29 2020 Etna Bianco

This wine’s flavors of citrus and green apple are softened by notes of winter melon and jasmine tea. It shows plenty of Etna character in its oceanic salinity and chiseled flintiness, yet those rounder fruit tones make it drinkable in its youth. Skurnik Wines, NY

90 Pietradolce $24 2020 Etna Bianco

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. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA

88 Murgo $21 2020 Etna Bianco

Flavors of tart lemon and tangy lime show hints of wild herbs and a saline freshness that make this a nice introduction to Etna Bianco wines. Serve well-chilled with scallops or grilled octopus. Skurnik Wines, NY

87 Diversi dal Solito $18 2020 Terre Siciliane Catarratto

Hints of white pepper accent this wine’s flavors of kiwi, lime zest and green apple skin. Zesty and tangy, it has a slightly oily texture and smoky notes that would work well with a spicy pork stir fry. Penrose Hill, Napa, CA

86 MandraRossa $12 2020 Sicilia Costadune Grillo

This grillo is rich and weighty, with flavors of ripe peach and apricot brightened by notes of lemon candy and Granny Smith apple skin. For bouillabaisse. Palm Bay Int'l, Port Washington, NY

85 Stemmari $11 2021 Sicilia Grillo

Flavors of lemon zest, green apple and white peach swirl in a slightly oily texture that feels warm and inviting next to a plate of red snapper. Prestige Wine Imports, NY

92 Pietradolce $24 2020 Etna Rosato

This rosé shows more depth of red-fruit flavor than its barely-pink color would suggest. Its flavors of strawberry and white cherry are vivid and tangy, lifted by scents of hibiscus and infused with brisk salinity that resonates on the finish. This is a serious rosé, meant more for the dinner table than the beach. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA

91 Tasca d'Almerita $21 2020 Etna Rosato Tenuta Tascante Tefra

Pale salmon in color, this wine unfolds with flavors of tiny red berries tinged with blood orange and sea salt. Tangy and savory, with distinctive smoky notes that shout Etna, it’s a lively and refreshing choice for a range of seafood dishes. Dalla Terra, Napa, CA

88 Murgo $22 2021 Etna Rosato

This easy-drinking Etna Rosato offers flavors of soft strawberry and mandarin orange buoyed by a cool streak of salinity. Skurnik Wines, NY

86 Ecolosi $12 2021 Sicilia Rosato

This tangy rosé shows nero d’Avola varietal character in its smoky flavors of juicy plum, wild strawberry and licorice. Appealing on its own or with appetizers. Vias, NY

93 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $29 2020 Etna Rosso

There’s a cranberry crunch to this wine’s juicy cherry and plum flavors, the fruit framed by chewy tannins that make this wine immediately approachable. Its fresh floral scents and midweight frame give it the drinkability of a pinot noir, yet it reveals Etna’s serious side in the layers of dark tar and black tea that flow beneath the bright fruit tones. This is always a good bet if you spot it on a wine list. Skurnik Wines, NY

92 Tenuta di Fessina $25 2020 Etna Rosso Erse

This wine offers nice complexity and excellent value. Its fresh floral scents accenting vibrant cherry and plum flavors. Bristly tannins give shape to the bright fruit tones, leading them toward a smoky and savory finish. Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL

91 Caruso & Minini $25 2021 Terre Siciliane Naturalmente Bio Perricone

The team at this winery in western Sicily vinify organically grown perricone entirely in stainless steel to amplify this wine’s pure dark cherry and tangy plum flavors. Hints of lavender and licorice accent the bright fruit tones, while smoky notes emerge toward the finish. Massanois, NY

91 Planeta $25 2020 Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Notes of dried thyme and white pepper weave through this wine’s juicy cherry and strawberry flavors, then the wine finishes with a bright spray of orange zest. It’s a lively, midweight wine, versatile for a range of lighter fare. Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL

90 Murgo $21 2020 Etna Rosso

A hint of tar and smoke lend depth to this wine’s bright cherry and plum flavors. It finishes on a savory note, ready for roast pork. Skurnik Wines, NY

90 Tasca d'Almerita $21 2019 Etna Tenuta Tascante Ghiaia Nera

With its pale cranberry color and tangy cherry and raspberry flavors, this wine drinks almost like an Etna Rosato. Serve it lightly chilled as a lively and refreshing partner for a plate of salumi and cheese. Dalla Terra, Napa, CA

88 Santa Tresa $18 2020 Sicilia Rina Russo Frappato

This translucent red offers flavors of strawberry and crunchy herbs framed by soft tannins that make it an appealing by-the-glass choice for trattorias. Vias, NY

87 Tasca d'Almerita $16 2019 Sicilia Tenuta Sallier de La Tour Nero d'Avola

Notes of licorice pastille and dark spice round out this wine’s dark plum flavors. It’s round and ripe enough to enjoy on its own, with enough tangy acidity to complement a juicy burger. Dalla Terra, Napa, CA

85 MandraRossa $12 2020 Sicilia Costadune Nero d'Avola

This nero d’Avola offers flavors of plum and licorice that are juicy and round, with just a hint of spice. Palm Bay Int'l, Port Washington, NY

92 Murgo $31 2019 Vino Spumante di Qualita Metodo Classico Brut Rose

The Scammacca del Murgo family has been making traditional-method sparkling wines from Mt. Etna’s native nerello mascalese since 1990. Their rosé, which gains its delicate salmon color from direct press of the red grapes, rested for three years in bottle on the lees, developing toasty notes that complement the wine’s flavors of tart cherry, cranberry and blood orange. Lingering saline notes point to the wine’s volcanic origin, and it finishes clean and bright, ready for a range of seafood or salty appetizers. Skurnik Wines, NY

91 Murgo $27 2019 Vino Spumante di Qualita Metodo Classico Brut

A silky mousse dovetails with flavors of tangy citrus and a hint of red berries, those fruit tones woven with bright salinity and lemony acidity. This is a pure nerello mascalese grown on the eastern slopes of Sicily’s Mt. Etna, the wine’s clean and zesty finish a match for seafood. Skurnik Wines, NY

93 Caravaglio $30 2020 Salina Occhio di Terra Malvasi di Lipari

Nino Caravaglio farms 37 acres of malvasia di Lipari vines on the island of Salina, using a selection to make this rich, succulent wine. He leaves the juice in contact with the skins for a brief period to pick up a deep copper hue and dense, chewy texture; that maceration also builds intense aromas and flavors of apricot and peach dusted with notes of nutmeg and cardamom. This is an “orange wine” without the bitter flavors that sometimes come with skin contact. Occhio di Terra is fresh and lively, ready to accompany salty cheeses or grilled swordfish. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

92 Caravaglio $30 2021 Salina Malvasia Secca di Tricoli Infatata

Infatata is the mama bear of Nino Caravaglio’s three dry malvasia wines, less dense than the chewy and spicy Occhio di Terra, more concentrated and fleshy than the breezy, entry-level malvasia secco. Infatata offers a medley of fresh and juicy fruit flavors—white peach, mandarin orange, yellow plum—infused with cool salinity and brisk acidity. It’s a luscious wine that doesn’t cross the line into flabbiness, finishing fully dry with lingering notes of fresh fruit and subtle spice. What a delicious wine for any summer gathering. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

90 Caravaglio $24 2021 Salina Malvasia Bianco Secco

This sprightly malvasia from the Aeolian Islands is redolent with scents of orange blossom and citrus zest, its refreshing flavors of white peach and mandarin orange limned with salinity. It may just be the perfect beach wine. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

92 Planeta $27 2018 Sicilia Eruzione 1614 Carricante

91 Idda $54 2020 Sicilia

Idda is a collaboration begun in 2016 between the Gaja family of Barbaresco and Mt. Etna winemaker Alberto Aiello Graci. While Graci's eponymous winery is on Etna's north slope, the Idda vineyards are on the less famous southern slope near Biancaville. This carricante opens with scents of orange blossom and white smoke that highlight its saline-infused flavors of citrus and blanched almond. Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL

92 Cusumano $60 2018 Terre Siciliane Salealto

Salealto is an intriguing wine made from equal parts of inzolia, grillo and zibibbo grown at high elevations in western Sicily. This vintage is reticent and tightly wound at first, then it blossoms with exposure to air, revealing flavors of tangy lemon and grapefruit, blanched almond and citrus skin, all couched in a dense, saline-infused texture that keeps brightening and evolving several days after the bottle was opened. This will be better in a year; there’s lots to unpack here. Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL

90 Filippo Grasso $32 2020 Terre Siciliane Carrico 68.8

Lemony acidity weaves through this wine's silty texture, picking up hints of smoke and crunchy herbs on the way to a zesty finish. The wine combines four local varieties (carricante, catarratto, minello bianca and grecanico) grown on the northern slope of Mt. Etna. Shiverick Imports, Los Angeles, CA

93 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $48 2020 Etna Bianco Superiore Le Vigne Niche

The tiny zone of Milo, on Mt. Etna’s rain-soaked and humid eastern slope, is considered one of the best sites for white varieties, and wines made with Milo fruit are the only Etna Biancos that can carry the Superiore designation. Marco de Grazia purchased a parcel in Milo in 2019 and is buying fruit from other growers while he waits for his replanted vines to mature. This wine is cool and crisp, its flavors of lemon and citrus skin infused with notes of juniper and sea salt. The acidity is electric, creating a firm structure and exciting tension that complements the wine’s smoky and savory notes so evocative of this territory. Skurnik Wines, NY

92 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $48 2020 Etna Bianco Le Vigne Niche Calderara Sottana

Scents of white smoke and wildflowers lead into this wine’s flavors of Meyer lemon and kumquat; all of it hovers above a sizzling mineral core. The fruit tones gain weight and density with exposure to air, picking up notes of dandelion greens and nori as the wine opens. Already a complex and layered wine, this should be even better after a few years in the cellar. Skurnik Wines, NY

92 Villa dei Baroni 2020 Etna Bianco Carranco

This venture between Barolo’s Andrea Farinetti and Mt. Etna’s Tornatore family produces Carranco with carricante grown on Etna’s northern slope, 1,640 feet above sea level. The wine exudes scents of marjoram, fennel and basil, accenting flavors of tangy lemon and white peach. The silty texture is infused with cool salinity and mandarin acidity that propels the flavors to a fresh and lifted finish. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

91 Bosco $37 2019 Etna Bianco Piano dei Daini

This wine from Etna's northern slope offers flavors of tangy grapefrult and crunchy green apple accented by notes of green spice and pressed flowers. Cool salinity infuses the flavors and contributes to the wine's linear profile. Enotec, Denver, CO

91 Tenuta di Fessina $66 2019 Etna Bianco A' Puddara

Carricante vines planted at nearly 3,000 feet above the sea on Etna's southern slope are exposed to wide day-to-night temperature swings, preserving this wine's lemony acidity and tart green apple flavors. The wine fermented and aged in 3,500-liter French oak barrels, developing notes of vanilla and lemon curd that cushion the tangy fruit tones. Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL

92 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $29 2020 Etna Bianco

91 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $48 2020 Etna Bianco Le Vigne Niche Montalto

This is Marco De Grazia's second vintage of Etna Bianco from Montalto, a vineyard (though not a contrada) on Etna's southern flank. You can feel the warmth in the wine's ginger-tinged flavors of crushed golden apple and lemon drop, the ripeness tempered by mouthwatering acidity that derives from the vineyard's position some 3,100 feet above sea level. Notes of smoke and sea salt complete the profile of this volcanic white. Skurnik Wines, NY

91 Tornatore $33 2020 Etna Bianco

Grapes for this wine were harvested from carricante vines planted more than 2,100 feet above sea level on Etna’s northern slope. It opens with an oily texture wrapped in savory and smoky notes. After a few hours in the glass, the flavors freshen into white peach and tangy citrus infused with lively acidity that resonates on a saline finish. E. & J. Gallo Winery, Modesto, CA

92 Pietradolce $24 2020 Etna Rosato

90 Bosco $37 2019 Etna Rosato Piano dei Daini

Bright notes of orange zest and salinity highlight this wine's tangy cherry and red berry flavors. It's richer than the pale pink color suggests, with a firm mineral tone and pleasant savory accents that evolve on the finish. Enotec, Denver, CO

91 Tasca d'Almerita $21 2020 Etna Rosato Tenuta Tascante Tefra

90 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $28 2020 Etna Rosato

Hints of white cherry and citrus begin to emerge from a lean frame as this wine opens with air, but the appeal of this barely pink rosato lies in its linear austerity and intense salinityâ€”a profile that may put off the casual rosÃ© drinker but will delight fans of Etna wines. Skurnik Wines, NY

94 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $68 2019 Etna Rosso Calderara Sottana

Vines up to a century old yielded the fruit for this smoky and meaty wine. Its black-cherry and plum flavors are deep and dense, laced with notes of roasted fennel and warm spice. A cool layer of graphite balances the wine’s peppery spice notes, the flavors all riding above a core of bristling minerality. The tannins were still smoothing out after three days, suggesting this has the structure and intensity to age gracefully. Skurnik Wines, NY

94 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $54 2019 Etna Rosso Moganazzi

Scents of rose petals and mortared herbs rise from the glass in this exuberantly aromatic Etna Rosso. Its flavors of Morello cherry and blood orange are juicy and lively, woven with notes of crushed rock and sea salt and tinged with a smoky savor that lends depth to the bright fruit tones. Marco de Grazia’s plot in Moganazzi is less than four acres, and he makes just 3,000 bottles of this delicious wine. It is well worth seeking out. Skurnik Wines, NY

93 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $29 2020 Etna Rosso

93 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $54 2019 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito

This nerello mascalese comes from vines rooted in deep, ashy soils at elevations of up to 2,780 feet on Etna’s northern slope. The wine’s high-toned floral scents lead into translucent cherry flavors tinged with delicate smoky notes. Cool salinity weaves through the succulent fruit tones, propelling the wine to a bright and vertical finish. Skurnik Wines, NY

92 Tenuta di Fessina $25 2020 Etna Rosso Erse

92 Pietradolce $48 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito

This is a dark and meaty wine, its red cherry and plum flavors stoked by a core of dark, smoky minerality. The flavors brighten as the wine opens in the glass, revealing scents of rose petal and tangy cranberry flavors, even as that savory intensity continues to evolve. This may be better in a year or two after the flavors have time to meld. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA

92 Pietradolce $138 2016 Etna Rosso Vigna Barbagalli

Alberello-trained vines up to 100 years old yielded this intensely concentrated wine. Flavors of black plum and red apple skin crowd together with notes of tar, licorice and iodine, those flavors underscored by jagged black-rock tannins. This could never be mistaken for anything but a volcanic wine, and its extreme expression of smoke, savor and minerality is not for the faint of heart. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA

92 Tenuta delle Terre Nere $54 2019 Etna Rosso Feudo di Mezzo

This wine is generously fruity for an Etna Rosso, its deep plum and seared-cherry flavors layered with notes of grilled herbs and dark smoke, all of it entwined in bristly black tannins. Play up those smoky notes by pairing this with something off the grill. Skurnik Wines, NY

90 Alta Mora $64 2016 Etna Feudo di Mezzo

This dense and chewy wine is packed with saline flavors of dried cherry and fennel, with developed notes of sundried tomato and black olive that suggest it is best to drink up now, before all of the primary fruit is gone. Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL

90 Bosco $96 2015 Etna Rosso Vico

Notes of black trumpet mushroom, tobacco and black tea accent this wine's flavors of dried plum and figs. It's a dense and earthy Etna Rosso made from pre-phylloxera vines grown high on Mt. Etna's northern slope. Enotec, Denver, CO

90 Idda $54 2019 Etna Rosso

Nerello mascalese from the ancient soils of Etna's southern slope yielded this smoky and savory wine, its flavors of tangy cherry and red plum girded by a tarry minerality and laced with dark spice notes. Terlato Wines Int'l, Lake Bluff, IL

90 Murgo $21 2020 Etna Rosso

A hint of tar and smoke lend depth to this wine’s bright cherry and plum flavors. It finishes on a savory note, ready for roast pork. Skurnik Wines, NY

90 Villa dei Baroni 2019 Etna Rosso

Nerello mascalese grapes, from vines planted half a century ago on Etna's northern slope, were fermented in concrete and aged in large oak barrels to make this sturdy Etna Rosso. Its scents of lavender and thyme lend delicacy to the wine's dense plum flavors and brusque, meaty tannins. A few years of cellaring may reveal more fruit tones, but there's plenty of smoky Etna character here. Carranco is a partnership between the Farinetti family (of Borgogno in Barolo) and Mt. Etna's Tornatore family. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

88 Vigneti Vecchio $58 2018 Etna Rosso Crasa Contrada

This is a rustic and brawny version of Etna Rosso, made with nerello mascalese from vines planted in 1930 and co-fermented with ten percent of local white grapes. It opens with high-toned flavors of Bing cherry and pomegranate that evolve into notes of dried strawberry, laced with smoke, graphite and black tea. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

93 Valle dell'Acate $31 2019 Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Valle dell’Acate’s red wines always stand out in a blind tasting for their explosive aromas of wildflowers and brushy herbs, so evocative of southern Sicily’s windswept Vittoria countryside. This wine is no exception, exuding scents of freshly cut grass, tobacco leaf and menthol that meld with flavors of juicy strawberry and raspberry. Savory tones emerge as the wine opens in the glass, complementing those herb-tinged red fruit flavors. Skurnik Wines, NY

91 Planeta $25 2020 Cerasuolo di Vittoria

91 Planeta $44 2018 Noto Santa Cecilia

The low hills of Planeta's Noto estate extend toward Sicily's southernmost point, where sea breezes and limestone soils produced a dark and juicy nero d'Avola. Infused with intense salinity, its dark plum flavors are accented by hints of licorice and smoke. Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL

90 Caravaglio $28 2020 Salina Nero du Munti Corinto Nero

Nino Caravaglio's corinto nero vines line the arid, inner rim of a dormant volcano on the island of Lipari. His bottling from 2020 is a midweight red with plummy fruit tones deepened by a meaty savor. Its dark, smoky notes continue through a bright, saline infused finish. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

92 Morgante $40 2018 Sicilia Riserva Don Antonio Nero d'Avola

This voluptuous nero d’Avola offers dark plum flavors layered with notes of lavender, licorice and dark chocolate. The wine rested for 18 months in French oak barriques, gaining a round and polished texture along with notes of vanilla and spice, yet the deep and lively fruit flavors absorb the oak influence effortlessly, and the wine’s mouthwatering acidity brings the flavors to a bright, vertical finish. Winebow, NY

90 Caruso & Minini $25 2020 Sicilia Naturalmente Bio Nero d'Avola

Hints of dried thyme and cherry cola accent this wine's plush, dark fruit tones and chocolaty texture. Made with organically grown grapes from western Sicily, it's a match for spicy fennel sausage. Massanois, NY

91 Tenuta di Fessina $42 2019 Sicilia Laeneo Nerello Cappuccio

Nerello cappuccio, typically a minor blending partner in Etna Rosso wines, performs solo in this succulent and tangy red. Its crunchy cherry and cranberry flavors reminded one panelist of a Chilean país, yet with greater concentration and that distinctive smoky depth that characterizes wines from Etna. Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL

91 Buscemi $42 2017 Terre Siciliane Tartaraci

Mirella Buscemi makes this wine from a vineyard that reaches up to 3,200 feet above the sea on Etna’s northwest slope near Bronte, just outside of the DOC boundary. The 90-year-old nerello mascalese vines are interplanted with about 30 percent granaccia (grenache), most likely planted to round out the austere, mineral character of the wine from this cool corner of the volcano. In 2019 the wine is lithe and lively, its flavors of red plum and strawberry laced with notes of juniper and underlined by a firm, mineral foundation. —S.J. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

91 Caruso & Minini $25 2021 Terre Siciliane Naturalmente Bio Perricone

91 Zabù $49 2020 Terre Siciliane Nero d'Avola

This winery was founded in 2007 by the Farnese Group in western Sicily, where hot days and cool nights produce a rich nero d'Avola. Its texture is like smooth dark chocolate while its plum and blackberry flavors are packed with notes of fennel and licorice. The wine is buoyed by energetic acidity that draws out the flavors in a warm and spicy finish that should appeal to fans of Barossa Valley shiraz. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA

90 Buscemi $40 2019 Terre Siciliane Tartaraci

Mirella Buscemi’s Tartaraci is a field blend of nerello mascalese with 30 percent granaccia (grenache). The 2019 is lithe and lively, its flavors of red plum and strawberry laced with notes of juniper and underlined by a firm, mineral foundation. North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA

90 Vigneti Vecchio $52 2019 Terre Siciliane Rosso Donna Bianca

Carmelo Vecchio and his wife, Rosa La Guzza, make this wine from vines planted in 1950 on Etna's north slope, just outside of the DOC zone. They co-ferment the varieties (nerello mascalese, nerello cappuccino and alicante with ten percent local white grapes) and age the wine in neutral oak barrels, bottling without fining or filtration. The result is a raspy, rustic wine, its flavors of black plum edged with a tomato-like savor and bristling with smoky minerality. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

92 Valle dell'Acate $27 2020 Vittoria Il Frappato

Half the pleasure of this wine comes from its ebullient aromas of thyme, rosemary and lavender, those same scents infusing flavors of tangy strawberry and orange peel. Fresh and high-toned, it’s a match for poultry or grilled vegetables. Skurnik Wines, NY

91 Hauner $34 2012 Malvasia delle Lipari

Late-harvested malvasia grapes from Siciliy's Aeolian Islands transform into flavors of dried apricot, fig and singed orange peel in this lively, spicy dessert wine. Notes of ginger and fennel accent the intense fruit, the flavors all couched in a round, viscous texture and buoyed at the finish by tangy mandarin acidity that balances the wine's natural sweetness. Empson USA, Alexandria, VA