Acclaim

Perfumed and fresh on the nose with strawberry and cedar aromas as well as some lavender. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a bright finish. Delicate yet firm. Better after 2026.

Sweet red berries with hints of vanilla and floral highlights. Medium-bodied with well-integrated, very fine and vanilla cream-coated tannins and a long, pleasant finish. Sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Drinking nicely now.

A super-clean, fruity red with juicy blackcurrant and dark cherry character. Medium-bodied with very fine, fruit-coated tannins and a fresh finish. 85% sangiovese, 10% cabernet sauvignon and 5% merlot. Screw cap. Delicious now.

The 2022 Etna Bianco is delicate and floral with a nuanced blend of nectarine and wet stones. It’s soft and enveloping with a pretty inner sweetness up front and zesty acidity that enlivens its core of citrus-tinged apples. This finishes long, staining, yet still fresh, with sour lime and savory spice notes.

The 2018 Bianco Sant’Andrea wafts up with a honeyed blend of white flowers, Jordan almonds and peach skins. It’s silky and enveloping, yet savory as well, with lime and salty minerals complicating its tart orchard fruits. The 2018 finishes with medium length and gentle tension, ending with lemon oil and young mango suggestions.

Seductive from the first tilt of the class, the 2021 Etna Rosso slowly opens to reveal dried strawberries, lavender, incense and spice. This is luxuriously round and soothing, with ripe red and blue fruits that easily flow across the palate. The 2021 finishes long and potent but only lightly structured. Candid citrus and licorice notes slowly fade. It’s a lovely introduction to Etna and the Pietradolce house style.

Dark and brooding, the 2019 Etna Rosso Rampante slowly evolves with crushed ashen stone and savory grilled herbs offsetting dried black cherries. It’s silky and refined, with a polished wave of ripe red and black fruits carried by vibrant acidity. A sour citrus tinge adds a pleasant punctuation toward the close. While only lightly tannic, the 2019 finishes with a youthful tension. A coating of primary concentration and a bitter tinge of blackberry linger on and on. The power of Rampante is on full display here, yet patience will be required to appreciate it.

The 2019 Etna Rosso Santo Spirito is coy in the glass, smoldering up with a delicate blend of dusty earth, dried roses and strawberries. It flows across the palate, a model of purity, with mineral-tinged red fruits and pretty inner florals. This finishes lightly structured, with a slight bitter tinge and chalk tannins. The 2019 is an understated interpretation of Santo Spirito.

The 2018 Etna Rosso Barbagalli opens with a spice-box bouquet, blending dusty florals and cloves with dried orange peels, incense and currants. It’s surprisingly energetic and lifted on the palate, yet still complex. Zesty acidity enlivens tart wild berries and savory spices. A saturation of salty minerals collects toward the close. The 2018 finishes long yet inward, like a black hole of licorice, violets and plums framed by fine tannins that resonate along the perimeter of the palate. The Barbagalli is a total success for the vintage, one which fans of Pietradolce should not be without. The Barbagalli hails from pre-phylloxera bush vines that are between 80-100 years old, growing at 950 meters on the north side of Etna. This is a Barolo-lover’s Etna Rosso.

The 2021 Faro is dusty and darkly floral, with a bouquet of dried roses and black cherries complicated by a hint of shaved cedar. It’s soft and round with bright red fruits and mineral tones that add a crunchy sensation as a coating of fine tannins slowly take hold. The 2021 finishes with a chewy concentration, lightly structured, yet with a tart tinge of sour citrus that maintains freshness. While balanced for the cellar, there’s no harm in enjoying this energetic Faro already.