2021 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Rinazzo
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Tasting notes
Aromas of green apples and lemon pith with fresh herbs and chalky mineral undertones. Juicy and crisp with a medium body, steady acidity and refreshing, citrusy finish. Lengthy and tense. Drink now.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
James Button, Decanter
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Rinazzo is spicy and coy, grumbling up with ginger, dried flowers and suggestions of bretty band-aid. It's soft and subtly sweet with mineral-tinged orchard fruits propelled by juicy acidity. This leaves a salty staining and young peach notes while finishing with medium length. The aromatics here will not be for everyone.
This wine is very linear and tight, definitely requiring a few more years of bottle age to flesh out and develop. At this young stage, the Benanti 2021 Etna Bianco Superiore Contrada Rinazzo is focused on citrus, green melon and Granny Smith apple. Give this wine a year or two more in the bottle to develop some of those pretty Carricante tones of flint, crushed stone and yellow rose.
Etna pioneer Benanti has vineyards on every side of the volcano but its holding in Milo on the eastern slopes is particularly unique as this is the only area that qualifies for the rare Etna Superiore label. Contrada Rinazzo is a steep terraced vineyard at 800m above sea level on ancient lava flows. Light but well balanced, this has a saline, peachy quality with white flowers and touches of nuttiness. Lemon and lanolin complete the finish.
About the producer
Benanti is one of the founding fathers of modern-day wine in Sicily, with Giuseppe Benanti an early champion of wines made from the slopes of Mount Etna. Today the property is in the hands of Giuseppe’s children and remains one of the region’s leading names.