Sicilia

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94+ Points! This is one of the celebrated white wines that put Sicily on the world wine map. The organic Planeta 2023 Sicilia Menfi Cometa (made with 100% Fiano) is a full-bodied and creamy expression of a grape that is otherwise known for crisp and lightly textured wines. Not here. This wine is all about richness, texture and depth. It starts off in stainless steel and matures in tonneaux and 36-hectoliter Allier oak casks. The fruit comes from Dispensa at 75 meters above sea level and Gurra at a lower 35 meters in elevation. Despite the hardships of the vintage, this wine delivers nothing but pleasure. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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91 Points! The 2025 Etna Rosato is wickedly fresh, mixing lemon zest with crushed tropical melon, mint leaves and spice. Cool-toned and lifted in style, it offers a cascade of kiwi and candied lime under an air of chamomile. A saline inflection and tart citrus tones pucker the cheeks, while the finish is long yet refreshing. - Eric Guido, Vinous

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From the importer:

Made entirely of Frappato grapes, planted in 2008, estate-grown in the parishes of Ponte and Fegotto, near Chiaramonte Gulfi. These vineyards are of reddish iron-rich sand interspersed with layers of clay, at about 280 meters (900 feet) above sea level; the climate is very hot but with cooler night-time temperature (which leads to better acidity in the grapes). The fruit is harvested in several passes, at moderate ripeness, normally around the middle of September; the grapes are lightly crushed and fermented at controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. Maceration is around two weeks. The wine is aged in stainless steel for 9 months before bottling.

Frappato is an aromatic variety, unusual for a red grape. The wine is brilliant mid-red in color, with clear floral and berry/pomegranate fruit notes and some spice and tea-leaf on the nose and the palate. Very useful food wine; I pair this with many pasta dishes, fish, pork, and roast chicken. Amazing with grilled tuna, and a clear candidate for the Summer Red Wine Hall of Fame. I drink it slightly chilled, but then any good red wine should be drunk at the temperature of a cool cellar, not room temperature.

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94 Points! A leesy, mineral wine with sophisticated apricot fruit wrapped in lemon peel and umami depth. Light- to medium-bodied. Crisp and chewy on the palate with refreshing style and a lavish, fruity finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The Graci 2024 Etna Bianco (made with 90% Carricante and 10% Catarratto) is a vibrant and fresh white wine with unripe peach, honey and a hint of saffron and a terrific sense of depth. It remains approachable, all the while giving the wine a cheerful near-term drinking window. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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95 Points! Very refined texture and character with sliced berries, cherries, watermelon and oranges on a medium-bodied palate with integrated tannins. The fresh, crunchy finish shows hints of pumice and ash. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Wickedly fresh and floral, the 2023 Etna Rosso is bursting with violet and lavender tones, chalk dust and ripe wild strawberry fruit. It washes across the palate with juicy textures and crisp red berries as a stream of motivating acidity maintains marvelous energy. It leaves a subtle inner tension that pinches at the cheeks as tart cherry and hints of clove linger on. This sexy Etna Rosso will win a lot of hearts. - Eric Guido, Vinous

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95 Points! Lots of blackberries, mushroom, bark, and a touch of pumice. Hints of smoke. Mussel shells. Blue fruits. It’s medium-bodied with fine and silky tannins that give tension and focus. Black fruit at the finish with hints of orange peel. Crunchy and fruity with structure. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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80% Nerello Mascalese and 20% Nerello Cappuccio from various estate vineyards in Passopisciaro. Each plot is fermented separately with native yeasts in stainless steel. A selection of the resulting batches is then assembled and aged 50% in stainless steel, 50% in 50HL Slavonian neutral oak. A classic Etna Rosso, offering juicy wild berry aromas wrapped in the signature mineral notes typical of volcanic soils. Grilled, smoked herbs close a delicious finish. “Mofete” means “it’s erupting” in Sicilian. Learn More

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The best value going on Etna today...100% Nerello Mascalese. Vines are an average of 60 years old, located in Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, at 670 meters above sea level. The soil is a black volcanic soil mixed with sand and minerals. Vines are pruned and trained in traditional head-trained cordon spur. Manual harvest, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, aged on lees for 10 months in used barriques before bottling.

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The best value going on Etna today...95% Carricante, 5% other local grape varieties. Vines are an average of 60 years old, located in Castiglione di Sicilia, on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, at 670 meters above sea level. The soil is a black volcanic soil mixed with sand and minerals. Vines are pruned and trained in traditional head-trained cordon spur. Manual harvest, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, aged on lees for 6 months before bottling.

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From the importer: 

The ‘Rocce di Pietra Longa’ is 100% Grillo from the Pietralunga vineyard, located near the town of Corleone. The vineyard can be recognized by a tall stone (the Pietra Lunga), about 100 feet high, nearby. Vines were planted in stony alkaline clay soil with many rocky outcroppings. Pale straw yellow color in the glass.

Gorgeous intense mouthwatering aromas of lemon, marzipan and wet stones. Outstanding lively fresh palate impression, by far the best example of the variety I’ve had.  Very long, very concentrated. A delicious, mineral, serious white wine from an unexpected source. Maybe even age-worthy. This Grillo can stand with some of Italy’s best white wines.

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A GREAT vintage of this wine. From the winery: 

Passorosso offers a journey through the Contrade of Passopisciaro.

It is crafted with Nerello Mascalese grapes selected from vineyards at different altitudes, ranging from 550 to 800 m / 1,804 to 2,624 ft asl and from diverse volcanic soils, some rich in volcanic ash and some with lava stones of varying grain sizes.

It is produced exclusively from old vines, with an average age of 100 years.

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94 Points! In 2009, the flagship 2009 Nero d'Avola Vrucara is drop dead gorgeous. Black cherries, tar, licorice and melted rocks meld together in a big, boisterous Nero d'Avola. Here, too, the style is very much forward and full-throttle, especially within the context of Nero d'Avola, but it all works. The 2009 is all about power wedded to expressive inner perfume and sheer depth of fruit. I see a wine of exceptional richness and character in the glass. Tobacco, mint, licorice and juicy dark cherries add complexity on the rich, enveloping finish. - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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93 Points! An elegant nose here with earthy strawberries and violet candies enhanced by smoky depth. Very polished. Light-bodied, this has silky tannins, polite extraction, chewy acidity and good length. Simple but precise, elegant and easy to drink. - JamesSuckling.com

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94 Points! The organic Planeta 2023 Sicilia Menfi Chardonnay is a creamy and rich interpretation with sweet almond, apricot and Sicilian candied fruit. The wine delivers beautiful intensity over a thickly layered, full-bodied mouthfeel. Fruit comes from the Ulmo vineyard (positioned at 250 meters above sea level) and Maroccoli (at 415 meters in elevation). The wine is aged in Allier French barrique with 40% new oak, 30% second-use and 30% third-use barrel for 11 months. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

94 Points! Almost Burgundian style to this wine, due to reductive character, with smoky aromas, pink grapefruit and candied cedar. Mellow, full-bodied and opulent with a creamy texture, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. From organically grown grapes. Sustainable. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

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93+ Points! Dark depths of crushed plums, black cherries, balsam herbs and dark chocolate form a beguiling display as the 2019 Nero d'Avola Vrucara smolders up from the glass. This is pure elegance, silky and textural, yet full of youthful tension, with tart wild berries and zesty citrus colliding under an air of inner rose. The 2019 is structured with sweet tannins and is dramatically extended, showing hints of brown spice, mocha and clove that linger on and on and on. This is a powerful rendition of Vrucara. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

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91 Points! Sweet honeyed florals, peaches and wet stone form an inviting bouquet as the 2022 Catarratto Masso wafts up from the glass. It's silky smooth yet has a contrasting salty tinge. Nectarine and spiced orange notes settle upon the senses. This tapers off spicy with a tropical flourish. The 2022 leaves the palate crisply refreshed. - Eric Guido, Vinous Media

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98 Points! This is an incredible Etna white with the depth and intensity of a grand cru Burgundy, showing sliced cooked apples, cream, flint, oyster shells and spices. Full-bodied and layered with super length and finish. Weightless and true. A triumph. A pure carricante grown at 700 meters. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The most mineral-driven of these new releases from Maugeri is the 2023 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Praino Frontemare. This is a young winery with enormous promise ahead of it. Grapes for this 3,300-bottle release come from a vineyard site on the east side of the volcano that faces the sea and has steep stone terraces on sandy, mineral-rich soils and yellowish clay. The wine spends eight months on the fine lees (with no malolactic fermentation and no bâtonnage). The result offers salty flavors folded into white pomelo fruit and unripe peach. This beautiful wine is considerably more angular and firm in character. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

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