Pietradolce

Beautiful white from Carricante, which captures the energy of Etna and reflects its essence. In the nose yellow stone fruit, mint, flowers and spice aromas. Complex in taste, full fruit and subtle minerality on the palate. Sophisticated and lovable. SUPERIORE.DE

"In the nose ripe yellow fruit, orange blossom and coffee. Inviting and exciting. On the palate beautiful, gripping acidity, otherwise soft, balanced character. A little caramel on the finish." Falstaff

"The 2018 Etna Bianco is fresh and buoyant with lots of pretty white flower and citrus definition followed by zesty mineral or salty sensations on the close. This is a carefully measured and focused wine with a very polished or glossy characteristic that I associate with the unique winemaking personality achieved at Pietradolce, one of my favorite estates on Etna. I love the sharpness and the precision of this beautifully accessible wine." Robert Parker

"Elegant and delicately scented, this opens with aromas of Spanish broom and fleshy white fruit along with a whiff of wet stone. The juicy, tangy palate delivers yellow apple, Bartlett pear and a savory saline note accompanied by crisp acidity." (Editors Choice) Wine Enthusiast

"Subtle and complex with lemon-curd, mango and cooked-apple aromas and flavors. Full body. Intense fruit and a long, flavorful finish." James Suckling

Pietradolce Rosso is reminiscent in its texture of an elegant red from Burgundy. Light, aromatic tones of cherry, cigar tobacco and cedar wood, medium-weight and well proportioned on the palate, tasty fruit, balanced and long. SUPERIORE.DE

"A pretty, silky red showing dried strawberries and chocolate and some hazelnut. Medium body. Soft tannins and a delicious finish with some smoky character." James Suckling

Excellent mineral archineri from the ancient Carricante vine. With great clarity he shows his typical aroma profile of apple, banana. Peach and citrus. Fascinating close to the palate with a velvety texture, a hint of chalk and long mineral-complex aftertaste. Pre-Phylloxera = from root true vines! SUPERIORE.DE

"Freshly sliced lemons, guava peel, green apples and spices. Medium body, fine layering of acidity and a floral, pretty finish." James Suckling

"The 2018 Etna Bianco Archineri is slightly rounder and more robust (compared to the entry-level Etna Bianco) with rich aromas of white peach and melon. This mid-weight expression is also creamier and more intricate in terms of texture, and much of this is due to the advanced age of the pre-Phylloxera vines used to make Archineri, some of which are over 130 years old. This wine delivers a larger center of gravity, and it lacks that super chiseled sharpness and delineation you get in the other Bianco. This bottle reveals a more sophisticated approach and longer cellar-aging potential." Robert Parker

"Splendid wine, produced from pre-phylloxera vines at 850m on Etna’s eastern slopes. Lively lime nose, the attack fresh and intense. Ripe citrus flavours dominate; very concentrated, mineral and imposing." Decanter

"Very pale straw color. Gorgeous nose of white peach, lime, minerals and jasmine. Then fresh and crisp, but with an underlying glyceral note that provides backbone to the zingy citrus and pomaceous orchard fruit flavors. Finishes extremely long with strong notes of fresh ginger and an underpinning of mineral dust. An outstanding Etna Bianco." Vinous

The red Archineri from Nerello Mascalese grapes is full of character and elegant. Very refined bouquet of currants and wild berries, with hints of hedge roses, stone fruit and ethereal aromas. Very exquisite, very juicy, tasty and long. SUPERIORE.DE

"Enticing aromas of flowers, cherries and plums follow through to a medium to full body, ripe, juicy fruit and a chewy, fresh finish. Lovely creamy texture." James Suckling

The red Archineri from Nerello Mascalese grapes is full of character and elegant. Very refined bouquet of currants and wild berries, with hints of hedge roses and ethereal aromas. Very exquisite, tasty and long. SUPERIORE.DE

"Atmospheric notes of ripe stone fruit, also liquorice and leather; compact construction with perceptible tannins, juicy and full of character in the aftertaste." Vinum

"Sparkling garnet red. Fine nose, with notes of pomegranate, rhubarb and a hint of iodine and nutmeg in the background. Salty and juicy on the palate, very animating to drink, lots of fine-meshed tannins, long finish." Falstaff

"Pale ruby. Perfumed deep cherry nose with iron hints. Supple and transparent and with shy, brooding fruit. The most elegant of Pietradolce’s 2016 offering. Very long and precise and with plenty of fine tannins." Jancis Robinson

"The 2016 Etna Rosso Archineri is made with fruit from pre-phylloxera vines aged up to 90 years old. This is a finessed and nuanced expression from a vintage that threw a few curve balls to vintners on Etna where the climate and temperatures can change at the drop of a dime. The finish is shorter compared to vintages of the recent past, but this mid-weight red is very articulate in terms of its aromatic offerings. It shows small-berry aromas with lilac, spice and wild blueberry. Some 7,000 bottles were made." Robert Parker

"Medium deep red. Inviting aromas of sweet spices, sour red berries, ripe red plum and musky herbs. Then dense and rich, with a refined element to the flinty red cherry and berry flavors that are both fleshy and spicy. Turns a bit more juicy and lemony on the long and very fresh back end. Made from 80-90 years old Nerello Mascalese vines planted at 800 meters above sea level on the northern slope of Etna." Vinous

"Extremely aromatic red with dried flowers, cream, citrus and plums. Hint of pumice, too. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a delicious finish. So drinkable now, but better in 2020." James Suckling

Contrada Rampante with a fine bouquet of dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Fresh and lively on the palate, with a memorable blend of ethereal sweetness, filigree acidity and an interesting salt note. A contemplative drop that requires a certain amount of experience and patience to be fully discovered. Pre-Phylloxera = from root true vines! SUPERIORE.DE

"A heady nose of treacle, Christmas pudding, lots of red fruit such as red cherries, dried rose petals, stems and tar. An extremely decadent palate, but one that is savory and juicy with some driven acidity and a long finish. The fresh fruit keeps it all together, though this could do with some time." James Suckling

Text follows. SUPERIORE.DE

"Cask sample. Pale crimson. Deep cherry fruit nose with a hint of oak. On the palate it combines lightness of touch of raspberry and cherry fruit and a charge of dark, spicy tannins. Embryonic and in need of further ageing." Jancis Robinson

"A chewy, flavorful Etna red with plum, light prune and rust aromas and flavors. Full body. Juicy finish." James Suckling

Contrada Rampante with a fine bouquet of dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Fresh and lively on the palate, with a memorable blend of ethereal sweetness, filigree acidity and an interesting salt note. A contemplative drop that requires a certain amount of experience and patience to be fully discovered. Pre-Phylloxera = from root true vines! SUPERIORE.DE

"Cask sample. Just mid crimson. Perfumed morello cherry and really tightly wound. Slow release of ripe raspberry and cherry fruit with a Nebbiolo-like, long tannic charge on the finish." Jancis Robinson

"Attractive ripe berry, plum and spice aromas follow through to a medium to full body, chewy tannins and a powerful finish." James Suckling

Contrada Rampante with a fine bouquet of dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Fresh and lively on the palate, with a memorable blend of ethereal sweetness, filigree acidity and an interesting salt note. A contemplative drop that requires a certain amount of experience and patience to be fully discovered. Pre-Phylloxera = from root true vines! SUPERIORE.DE

"Promising scent of cherries and macchia; precise course with notes of berries, sprays with minerality. Beautiful food companion." Vinum

"Sparkling ruby garnet with bright rim. Attractive nose of ripe cherries and blackberries, with rhubarb. "Fabric, dense-meshed tannin, builds up in many layers, a little rough in the finale. Falstaff

"Pale ruby. Distinct, heady cherry nose. Supple and elegant yet intensely flavoured and with fine, long tannins. Perfumed, long, sweet cherry finish." Jancis Robinson

"Citrus peel acidity enlivens the dried cherry and cranberry fruit flavors of this balanced, medium-bodied red, underscored by a rich vein of tarry mineral and wild herb notes. Creamy tannins firm the lingering finish." Wine Spectator

"Bright red. Reticent aromas of red cherry, Oriental spices, roses, plum nectar and soy sauce on the brooding nose. Floral and fresh in the mouth, with hints of Oriental spices and tobacco complicating ripe, thick plum and cherry flavors. Less immediately fruity and more tannic than the Santo Spirito, as it should be given the characteristics of these two crus. The finish is long, juicy and a touch austere for its current tannic clout. Needs time." Vinous

"The 2016 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante shows girth and power to the mid-palate. This is a dense and fleshed-out red wine from Etna made with fruit from 90-year-old vines. However, like other expressions from this vintage, I found there to be a lot of immediate intensity up front, with less persistence and fiber in the long run. This seems to be a shared characteristic of 2016. Some 5,000 bottles were made." Robert Parker

Pietradolce Rosso is reminiscent in its texture of an elegant red from Burgundy. Light, aromatic tones of cherry, cigar tobacco and cedar wood, medium-weight and well proportioned on the palate, tasty fruit, balanced and long. SUPERIORE.DE

"A pretty, silky red showing dried strawberries and chocolate and some hazelnut. Medium body. Soft tannins and a delicious finish with some smoky character." James Suckling

The red Archineri from Nerello Mascalese grapes is full of character and elegant. Very refined bouquet of currants and wild berries, with hints of hedge roses, stone fruit and ethereal aromas. Very exquisite, very juicy, tasty and long. SUPERIORE.DE

"Enticing aromas of flowers, cherries and plums follow through to a medium to full body, ripe, juicy fruit and a chewy, fresh finish. Lovely creamy texture." James Suckling

Contrada Rampante with a fine bouquet of dark red cherries, flowers, mint and liquorice. Fresh and lively on the palate, with a memorable blend of ethereal sweetness, filigree acidity and an interesting salt note. A contemplative drop that requires a certain amount of experience and patience to be fully discovered. Pre-Phylloxera = from root true vines! SUPERIORE.DE

"Cask sample. Just mid crimson. Perfumed morello cherry and really tightly wound. Slow release of ripe raspberry and cherry fruit with a Nebbiolo-like, long tannic charge on the finish." Jancis Robinson

"Attractive ripe berry, plum and spice aromas follow through to a medium to full body, chewy tannins and a powerful finish." James Suckling