2023 Pietradolce Etna Bianco Sicily 750 ml

With 100-point winemaking legend (and three-time Winemaker of the Year) Carlo Ferrini at the helm of Pietradolce, it’s incredible that their prices haven’t caught up to their prestige, but it’s only a matter of time. This juicy and composed Etna Bianco, made from 100% Carricante—a grape that Italian-wine authority Ian d’Agata once called “potentially one of Italy’s greatest cultivars”—is a chance to lasso this rocket on the way up.

Founded just 18 years ago, they’ve already accrued an astonishing list of accolades. Over 13 Tre Bicchieri honors—Italy’s premier wine awards—in that span of time is simply unheard of. On top of that, their wines have also accumulated more than 70 top ratings among major critics and numerous Editors’ Choice awards from Wine Enthusiast. Again, this is all in just 18 years. It’s no wonder that the Wine Advocate called Pietradolce their “new Etna darling.” 

This Bianco is crafted from some of the highest sites on the volcano, with vines perched as high as 3,000 feet, where they brave battering winds, and dramatic diurnal temperature shifts. Consequently, the yields are super low, yielding intensely concentrated grapes and a wine that is both snappy and complex. This is critical—Carricante is a prodigious producer whose name refers to “loading up the cart” at harvest time, so pruning for low yields is critical to timely ripening of the grapes and character in the wines.

Years of volcanic activity have quite literally shaped the mountainside where Pietradolce sits, painting streaks of stony, sandy loam. Here, the high altitudes and rich soils nurture the Carricante grapes, which can ripen in places that the red Nerello Mascalese can’t.