Acclaim

Ripe black-skinned berry, underbrush and new leather aromas take shape in the glass. The ripe, savory palate features dried black cherry, white pepper and star anise alongside a backbone of fine-grained tannins. -Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 2021

This wine has now graduated to DOC Sicilia status in this 15,000-bottle edition. The Le Casematte 2020 Sicilia Bianco Peloro is a seafood-friendly blend of 65% Grillo and 35% Caricante (the grape name is spelled with one “r” by this estate). With chalky sensations and lots of pretty citrus fruit and stone fruit, the wine is lean-bodied and refreshingly bright with long mineral notes on the close. You get terrific value.  – Monica Larner

The Le Casematte 2018 Faro is a blend of 55% Nerello Mascalese, 25% Nerello Cappuccio, 10% Nocera and 10% Nero d’Avola that offers so much fun and a quirky personality. There is a wild and unruly side to this mid-weight, ruby-colored wine with forest fruit, bramble and peat moss. The tannins are integrated, but this 10,000-bottle edition offers some sharp notes of acidity and tart fruit as well. It should be interesting to follow its evolution over the coming years. – Monica Larner

The 2019 Etna Bianco Archineri (with 7,000 bottles produced) is a pure expression of Carricante from pre-phylloxera vines. The wine is made in stainless steel and you get a very pure and precise taste of the grape as a result. This was a great growing season on Etna, resulting in nicely concentrated and shapely fruit, so that simple winemaking approach is well matched to the elegance of vintage material on hand. Peach, honey and crushed stone rise to the forefront of the bouquet.” -Monica Larner

A release of 7,000 bottles, the 2017 Etna Rosso Archineri is a fine and delicate expression from Etna that presents concise and carefully laid-out aromas of wild fruit, tart cherry, mountain herb and fresh violets. Not all red wines from this hot and dry vintage have held up as nicely nor are as vibrant as this pretty wine from Michele Faro and his team at Pietradolce. To the palate, the wine is lean and crisp and there is a salty note to the finish. In fact, this is nearly lean enough to enjoy with a seared tuna steak. -Monica Larner

This is the top red wine made by Pietradolce, and its striking black label is meant to underline its importance in the estate portfolio. The 2017 Etna Rosso Barbagalli offers a pretty garnet color and a lean to mid-weight approach. Made with fruit from pre-phylloxera vines from one of the highest elevation vineyards in the appellation (at 950 meters above sea level), this is always a study in elegance, and the integrity of the fruit transcends most problematic vintage variations thanks to the hearty resilience of the vines and their extended root systems. This wine shows composure and equilibrium with an incredibly glossy or silky quality of fruit with berry, smoke, tar and campfire ash. That old-vine concentration and power (with 15% alcohol) also comes through clearly. Only 2,500 bottles were released. – Monica Larner

With pre-phylloxera fruit from 90-year-old vines in the village of Castiglione di Sicilia, this asset in the Pietradolce portfolio is a relatively new addition. The 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Rampante shows some extra concentration and darkness that reflects the vineyard site and the hot growing conditions of the vintage. The wine offers a lot of savory characteristics with leather and crushed stone, but there are some solid tones of blackberry and wild plum at its core. This was a release of about 4,000 bottles. – Monica Larner

Another 2017 release of 4,000 bottles and also from pre-phylloxera Nerello Mascalese vines, the Pietradolce 2017 Etna Rosso Contrada Santo Spirito is really quite beautifully balanced and composed in the vintage, more so than I would have expected given some of the excessive heat that came during the summer months. With fruit from a vineyard site in Castiglione di Sicilia, the wine reveals a polished, dark ruby appearance with lighthearted aromas of sour cherry and tart cassis. Those delicate berry embellishments are wrapped around spice, mineral and earth. – Monica Larner

Made with Carricante from pre-phylloxera vines, the 2017 Sant’Andrea is an ambitious wine that teaches us about the potential and longevity of this fascinating white grape from Etna. Fruit is carefully selected from a one-hectare site perched at a very high 900 meters above sea level. The wine is fermented in French oak barrel and sees extended skin maceration to increase the color, concentration and texture of this elegantly tapered and medium-bodied white. Indeed, you are greeted by a rich golden color and an open-knit bouquet that puts honey, apricot and preserved lemon right out there. The hot 2017 vintage shaped aromatic depth and length. The finish is quite dry and almost crunchy, with a pretty mineral-driven signature. A precious 1,800 bottles will be released in January 2022. This is my favorite edition of Sant’Andrea made thus far (with the first vintage made in 2015).  -Monica Larner

A pure expression of Carricante, the entry-level Pietradolce 2020 Etna Bianco is a fun and versatile wine made in a simple manner in steel vats to lock in freshness. The bouquet reveals citrus, white peach and crushed stone. Fruit is drawn from a five-hectare site at a high 750 meters above sea level with well-draining sandy soils mixed in with lots of stones. The wine is clean and snappy, and that pretty acidity adds lots of life and spirit to the bouquet. Production is a solid 15,000 bottles and you get excellent value.  -Monica Larner